


Destiny and Dr. McCoy - Part Three "Twist Of Fate"

by ChickSinger99



Series: Destiny and Dr. McCoy [3]
Category: Star Trek, Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies), Star Trek: Enterprise
Genre: Developing Relationship, Drama & Romance, Dysfunctional Family, F/M, Gen, Prophecy, Romance, Slow Build, Telepathy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-03
Updated: 2018-05-13
Packaged: 2019-04-17 16:43:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 28,926
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14193267
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChickSinger99/pseuds/ChickSinger99
Summary: Zoe and Dr. McCoy give in to their feelings for one another. As their personal relationship deepens, the Enterprise pays a visit to Zoe's home planet. What they discover stuns them all.





	1. Day 20

**Author's Note:**

> This is the third and final part to this first book. It will not make much sense unless you have read parts one and two.  
> Subsequent - as yet unwritten - works will follow the decisions made by Zoe and Leonard and their offspring in response to the prophecy.

Day 20

18:00 –

Zoe stops by Sickbay, the last appointment of the evening. She hasn’t seen Dr. McCoy yet today, they have both been busy working.

“I saved the best for last. Everyone else has finished up for the evening, but that’s alright. This is just a formality. Come hop up here on this biobed for me.”

She does. He notes the readings.

“I am pleased to inform you that you are officially released from doctor’s care. You no longer require medical supervision.”

He sees her smile fade slightly.

He touches her hand. “I know. I’ve grown quite fond of seeing you every day as well. Scoot over a bit.”

She does. He sits beside her.

“From time to time you have asked me to help you with things – as a friend, remember?”

She nods.

“I was wondering if you would help me with something? Ethically I didn’t feel it was right to ask you while I was still your doctor.”

Her eyes brighten. She smiles and nods.

“Well thanks, but you may want to wait before you agree. I haven’t told you what it is yet. Zoe, do you know what a kiss is?”

She nods and brings her right hand to her mouth and kisses it.

“Did you and your husband kiss?”, he asks, indicating his lips and then hers.

She shakes her head no.

“So, you have never been kissed on the mouth by a man?”

Her eyes widen as they lock on his. Funny things are happening inside of her. Her expression becomes serious and she slowly shakes her head no.

“Zoe, I want very much to kiss you. If you decide to let me, all you have to do is push me away when you’ve had enough and I’ll stop, okay?” He’s watching the biobed readings. Her pulse is racing, her temperature is rising, her breath has become quick and shallow and he hasn’t even touched her yet. But she doesn’t look afraid and she doesn’t look away. Her eyes are huge, searching his.

She nods.

He smiles, the most tender smile she has ever seen, and she responds with one of her own.

Then his big, warm hand is sliding along the right side of her face and behind her neck and his soft, moist lips are on hers, parting, caressing, whispering into her mouth, “Breathe, Zoe, darlin’, breathe.” She realizes with a start that she has been holding her breath, and she’s gone, and she’s his, and she’s feeling new things moving inside her. Just when she doesn’t know how much more she can take he releases her. She sees concern flash over his face as he notes the readings on the bioscanner.

“Are you okay?”, he asks with concern.

She nods and searches for the keyboard communicator. _“Does that happen to everyone every time they kiss?”_

He laughs. “Oh no, darlin’. If it did they’d have to make it illegal.”

_“Did you know it would happen to me?”_

“No, but I was sure hoping. That’s what I wanted to find out.”

_“Can I kiss you?”_

“Well now, I suppose that’s only fair.”

She sits up taller and turns fully towards him. She reaches out her hands but as he is leaning in she stops him with a hand to one shoulder as she runs the fingers of the other hand through his hair, fingering it. Then she lowers it to the nape of his neck tracing the area behind his ear with her thumb while her fingers brush up the bristly bottom of his haircut. She releases him, and that hand joins the other, exploring the back of his head and pulling him close as her lips begin to explore his. First the top lip, from one side to the other, then the bottom lip. Now her tongue is out the barest bit and she is sampling the spot where the two lips meet. He groans, and she stops abruptly.

Seeing the concern in her eyes, he quickly assures her that he’s fine. It was a groan of pleasure, of satisfaction. He conveniently leaves out the fact that it was also a groan of frustration. Things are going too well to risk ruining them now.

“Zoe, sweetheart, how is it that the first time you kiss you’re able to kiss like that?”

_“Are you saying you had to learn?”_

“Yes. Most of us do. It’s usually a little awkward, at least at first. I mean, like most things, some people are better than others.” As the blood returns to his brain he realizes that he is babbling a little.

_“So, you have put your lips on the lips of many other women?”_

“Yes, Zoe. I am a doctor. I perform CPR.”

No response.

“Life saving resuscitation. But I know that’s not what you mean. ‘Kissed’. The word is ‘kissed’. Zoe, honey, I’m a human male. I grew up on earth. I’ve been married. So, yes, I’ve kissed many other women. And since joining Starfleet they haven’t all been human, either. But hear me when I say this – I have never kissed anyone like you. The moment our lips touched I didn’t have to think about what to do or how to do it. It’s like your lips were telling me what they wanted. I could kiss you forever.”

_“But is it enough? I do not know what you need or if I am able to give it to you.”_

He has anticipated this. “Zoe, knowing what your life has been so far I’m not at all surprised that you’d think that. I know it’ll take time before you’re even ready to accept the possibility that what I need might also be something that you want. But I’m asking you to trust me one more time. Trust me that I will in no way try to make you do anything you don’t want to do. But I believe the day will come that you will ask me, and I’m willing to wait for that day.”

She sighs, closes her eyes and nods.

“So,” he asks playfully, “does this mean that I can start calling you my girl?”

A look of concern crosses her face.

“Zoe? What is it?”

_“Would you mind seeing if Dr. Baker could join us, please?”_

“Right now?”

She nods.

“Sure, beautiful. Be right back.” He returns with some water that she sips gratefully. “He’s on his way.”

They sit in silence until Dr. Baker’s buzz announces his arrival. Dr. McCoy motions for him to take the chair next to the bed. He is still seated on the biobed with his arm loosely around Zoe.

Dr. Baker addresses Zoe, “You wanted to see me?”

 _“Leonard kissed me.”,_ she types.

Baker struggles to remain professional, but he cannot wait to get Bones alone for the deets. He looks from one to the other, but they aren’t giving him any help.

“O-kay.”, he says slowly. “Did you give him permission to do this?”

“Of course she did!”, Bones snaps at him. “You know me better than that!”

“I would have thought so. I’m just trying to figure out why I’m here.” To Zoe, “Did you like it?”

_“It made me feel new things inside. Things I have never felt before. A little like when I am afraid, but much stronger, more powerful.”_

She looks up at Dr. McCoy, who is watching her intently, and types, _“Yes. I liked it very much.”_

He beams at her. It’s almost enough to erase her concern, but not quite.

“What is it, Zoe? What’s bothering you?”, Dr. Baker asks.

_“Please tell Leonard what has been happening to me in the presence of your Captain.”_

“Ah, I see. That’s your concern.”

She nods.

“What? What’s this?”

“Alright, Bones, the fact that Zoe wants you to know this proves that she cares for you. You need to listen carefully and keep in mind that this woman – regardless of her appearance – is not human and cannot be expected to react and respond as such, especially when it comes to involuntary physiological bodily functions. You’re a doctor and a professional. You can do that, right?”

He rubs his face with his hand. “In all my medical experience I have never had to remind myself of those facts as often as the past few weeks, but yes, I think I have proven that I can.”

“Zoe, stop me if I get any of this wrong, okay?”

She nods.

Addressing Bones, “Zoe came to me last week concerned about some involuntary physical reactions that were beginning to occur when she and the Captain were alone.”

“When and where are they alone?”

“When he stops in to check how her work is progressing, that’s all. What she described is the work of female hormones when in the presence of a suitable available male – and before you jump down my throat, I’m using these terms strictly in the scientific and biological sense, okay?”

“No, I get it.”, he mutters. “And we know Jim is always in heat.”

“Right. So, I told her that for a human this is normal and natural. What she was struggling with was how to interpret these reactions. The brain of the human female would instinctively interpret these feelings as attraction to or desire for the one causing them.”

Bones looks at Zoe. “Are you attracted to the Captain? Do you desire him?”

Zoe shakes her head vigorously.

“No!”, Dr. Baker says. “Not with her mind. Not with her heart. We established that during the rest of our interview that day, didn’t we, Zoe?”

_“Did we?”_

“Yes. When I asked you if you found yourself thinking about the Captain when you were not together or looking forward to the next time you were going to be alone together, and you said no. In fact, quite the opposite. A human woman who was attracted to a human man would have these thoughts.”

_“Oh, yes. That is correct.”_

“So, is that what you wanted Leonard to know, Zoe? Or was there something else?”

_“There is something else.”_

“What is it?”

_“I need your Captain to kiss me. Right here in this biobed.”_

“What? No!” Dr. McCoy jumps up. “Zoe, why would you want that?”

“McCoy,” Baker says slowly and emphatically, “I want you to notice she said ‘need’, not ‘want’”

“Don’t split hairs.”, he growls under his breath.

“I’m not.”, Baker continues. “Why don’t you sit back down and give Zoe a chance to tell us why she believes she needs this?”

He closes his eyes, takes a deep breath, then sits back down. He can’t bring himself to look at Zoe, however.

She sighs and begins to type. _“Leonard, you just went somewhere no man has gone before. Not even my husband. It was as if you opened a closed room in me that I did not even know was there, awakened me. I was… I have no words... Electrified? Overcome? Powerless? It felt as if my will was no longer mine, but yours. As if I would have allowed you to slit my throat had that been your desire.” _

She pauses while the two men read.

Bones meets her eyes again. “Really? That’s how you felt?”

She nods. _“Is that a typical human reaction?”_

“I can’t say I’ve ever heard it expressed in that way, or quite so strongly.”, Dr. Baker says.

_“You and Mr. Spock have stressed to me that because of my appearance every man on this ship wants to do what Leonard just did.”_

“You’ve been telling her that?”, McCoy sputters.

“Well it’s the truth. She needed to understand.”

_“Which is why I take care to stay out of arms reach of men and not be alone with them. The only male on this ship that has made this impossible is your Captain.”_

“Now wait, Zoe.”, Dr. Baker says. “You and I have been alone from time to time.”

_“Yes, but you have always maintained a respectful and professional distance in those situations…”_

“You’re saying Jim doesn’t?”, hisses McCoy.

_“…and I have never had the sense that you wanted to kiss me.”_

“That’s it. I’m going to kill him.”

“So, you have had the sense that the Captain would like to kiss you if he could?”, Baker asks.

She meets his eyes and nods.

“Then why do you feel the need to allow it?”

McCoy chimes in, “Oh no. Absolutely not. _I_ won't allow it.”

_“Leonard, you just asked me if you could call me your girl. We need to allow this to prove to myself – and to you – and to your Captain – that you can. I cannot believe that any other man could ever do to me what you just did, but I would wager your Captain might disagree. What better place than here, in this biobed, to find out? You have repeatedly asked me to trust you. I always have. You have never let me down. Now I am asking. Trust me, Leonard? Please?”_

He searches her eyes for a long moment. His face softens a bit and without looking away he says, “Baker, would you go see if Jim is free? Tell him Zoe wants him to come to Sickbay and kiss her.”

 _“_ Needs _.”,_ she mouths.

“Needs.”, he corrects.

“Oh, this is going to be good.”, Baker can’t stop himself from saying.

Zoe grabs his arm to keep him from leaving as she types, _“ Doctor Baker, please try to act like you are not enjoying this so much.”_

“Yes, Ma'am.”, he grins as he exits.

  
”Zoe, are you sure about this?”

She nods, leans back and closes her eyes.

“What is it?”

 _“_ You _.”,_ she mouths.

“What about me?”

She looks at him and types, _“Suddenly I am once again in the position of having someone in my life that I could not bear to lose. I never wanted to be here again, but it is too late now.”_

 _  
_ When the door opens again they smell him before they hear him. Zoe wrinkles her nose in distaste. Bones grins. Leave it to Jim to shoot himself in the foot. He really overdid it with the aftershave.

“Good evening, Zoe.”

She nods in greeting.

“Dr. Baker has relayed a very unusual request. Am I to understand that I have been summoned here this evening to kiss a princess?”

Zoe’s brow knits in confusion.

“Didn't your mother tell you human fairy tales when you were younger?”

She shakes her head no.

“Oh well. Never mind. Bones you don’t look too happy about this. Say the word and it doesn’t happen.”

“Thanks, Jim, but this is what Zoe wants.” She gives him a slight kick. “Excuse me, darlin’, needs. I’m allowing it for her sake.”

“So, what is it you need me to do, Zoe?”

She puts her hand on the bed beside her.

“Sit here?”

She nods.

“Okay.”

Looking him straight in the eyes she touches his left hand and then her right cheek, then his lips and her lips.

“Touch your face with my hand and kiss you on the lips?”

She nods.

“For how long?”

“Until I tell you that’s enough, you animal!”, McCoy shouts.

Jim laughs. “Calm down, Bones. I understand. I’m just playing with you. Okay, I’ve got it. Ready?”

She nods and watches as his eyes darken and his lids get heavy as he leans in. He puts his hand on her cheek, but she grabs it as he moves it toward her hair. His lips push against hers, but all she is feeling is a desire for it to stop. She presses backwards against the biiobed. Her eyes start searching for Dr. McCoy as Dr. Baker grabs the Captain by the shoulders, pulls him back and steers him quickly out of Sickbay.

“Come on, Captain. We’re done here.”, they hear him say on the way out.

Zoe breathes a sigh of relief as she wipes her lips with her hand. Then sees Leonard leaning against the wall with his arms folded, shaking with silent laughter.

“God, I wish I had a video of that! Thank you, darlin’. That was priceless. I would never have believed it possible.”

She looks up questioningly at the bioscanner.

“Nothing! Not a blip!”

She closes her eyes, sighs and smiles.

“You weren’t sure, were you?”

She types, _“I wanted to be. I needed to be. I am now.”_

“Are you hungry?”

_“Suddenly I’m starving.”_

“Well, we can’t have that. Let’s get my girl some supper.”

_“Could we eat in your office? There is something I want to ask you.”_

“Sure, angel’.”

They take their food and sit on his couch facing each other.

She looks around as she eats. _“I like this room. I’ve missed being here.”_

“It hasn’t been the same without you. What did you want to ask me?”

_“Leonard, what does it mean to be your girl?”_

Oh boy. Right. She would have no idea, would she? Think man. “Well, it’s a little like being an Altan friend, maybe, except we only have one at a time.” That wasn’t bad, he thinks.

_“So, it is forever?”_

“Uh, no. Not necessarily. But it’s a step towards forever. If I’m your guy and you’re my girl, it means that we aren’t thinking of anybody else in a forever way because we’re trying to find out if we’re supposed to be together forever.” Holy cow, she’s got you saying that word more times than you’ve ever thought it. But now that it’s out there, there it is. You’re a forever guy, Leonard McCoy. You know what you want and it’s this woman. So, lay your cards on the table, man.

But while he is thinking this she has already typed, _“Then I do not want to be your girl.”_

His heart drops like a rock. Then he sees the rest, _“I want to be your forever.”_

And now it’s his turn to tear up as he stares at her not daring to breathe. She’s going to need a new communicator. He’s keeping this one.

As she sits there calmly waiting, meeting his gaze, he knows she sees his answer in his eyes. But as soon as he can speak he says, “And, Zoe, my precious, I want to be yours. More than I’ve ever wanted anything in my life.”

The food is pushed aside and forgotten as their bodies take over in a kiss that becomes an embrace that leaves them, who knows how long later, lying in each other’s arms on the couch, lips just millimeters apart.

“Zoe, I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I have to know. You could have any man. Are you sure you want me?”

She nods and sits up, looking for the communicator. When she sees it she reaches for it, but he grins and holds it up and away from her.

“Uh-uh. This one’s mine now. You’ll have to get a new one.”

She smiles back at him, then walks over to his desk for a piece of paper and a pencil. _“Leonard, we are going to have to trust each other – a lot. I hear what you are asking. More than your words. To convince you how sure I am I would have to invent a new vocabulary and teach it to you and I do not want to spend the time doing that right now.”_

She gets back up for more paper. “ _I did not want any man, remember? I thought I could have been content to remain friends with you forever. Are you even aware that you have been slowly and systematically dismantling my defenses? Your kiss just broke the final barrier. I felt the risk when you asked. I could have refused, stayed safe, but I had to know. And now I do know. Make no mistake, Leonard McCoy, you are my forever.”  _

He shakes his head as he reads the paper she handed him before finally folding it and putting it in his pocket. “I’m keeping this, too.”

She writes on her last piece of paper. _“Can we go back to my office?”_

“You want to work?”

She shakes her head and rolls her eyes.

“What then?”

 _“Patience.”,_ she writes and thinks, I’m going to print this word on a card and keep it in my waistband.

They walk down the hall and he drops her at the door. “I’ll be right back.” Ducking into the adjacent room he makes sure the recording device is disconnected. When he returns he sees she has spread a blanket on her work table and is sitting cross-legged on it, looking out the window at the stars. She has one of her notebooks and a pencil next to her as well.

Without turning around, she motions for him to join her.

“Lights ten percent.”, he says, but at this she turns to look at him and shakes her head. “Okay, lights on.”

Shoes off, he settles beside her. When she finally turns to look at him he searches her eyes and asks the now familiar question, “Where did you go, Kitten?”

_“I was thinking about something my mother once said. I believe my love of languages came from her. Besides Standard, she taught me some of her favorite phrases in other earth tongues.”_

“What did she say?”

_“It is French. ’Le seul vrai langage au monde est un baiser.’ ‘The only true language in the world is a kiss.’ I do not know why I even remember that one. It never made sense to me until tonight.”_

She watches his face as he reads.

_“I felt the truth in your kiss. It said so much. But I have to admit to you that it is difficult for me to believe and accept.”_

He doesn’t say anything, so she continues. _“You asked me earlier if I was sure that I wanted you. I am. That you accepted my friendship was honor enough, but to single me out as your forever bonded soulmate… I just do not understand.”_

“What is it that you don’t understand?”

_”How can a man like you feel this way about me?”_

At this moment he is very grateful for his training in psychology. He takes his time before starting to answer. There are so many things he could say. He knows that this question is not coming from the brilliant, talented, beautiful woman he sees next to him, but from the little girl who still struggles with her own worth. He wants more than anything to convince her that she is indeed worthy of the love and acceptance that she never received.  

“Darlin’, there isn’t a short or an easy answer to that question. I was drawn to you from the moment you came aboard. It happened before I could even ask myself why. Something about you got through my defenses, almost immediately, and if you don’t think that’s true, you can ask Jim, or Spock, or anyone who knows me. I was fighting my feelings for you from day one.”

_“Really?”_

“Mm-hmm. Jim called me on it when you ran away. Told me I was reacting mighty strongly for only having known you a week. That’s when I really thought about it for the first time. You amaze me, you surprise me, you challenge me, you make me think, you make me laugh. You managed to get closer to me in one week than most people I’ve known all my life. I couldn’t stand the thought of losing you.”

He still can’t suppress a shudder whenever he thinks of that night.

“When you came back I was determined to be whatever you needed, whatever you wanted as long as I could be close to you. And as far as ‘a man like me’, for a while I couldn’t imagine being anything more to you than a friend. But something began to happen. You started to call things out of me. I was going to say you changed me, but I don’t think that’s it. I think you saw things that no one else took the time to see and made me see them too. I like who I am when I’m with you. What you said earlier, about inventing a new vocabulary, I get that. I’m relieved to hear you say that you felt the truth when we kissed, because I don’t have any more words to give you right now. You are just going to have to trust me one more time that my greatest joy for the rest of my life will be showing you just how much there is about you to love and cherish.”

The whole time he has been speaking she has been still and quiet, just watching his face. When she doesn’t respond for a minute, he asks, “Does that help clear it up some?”

She nods, then leans in and embraces him, holding on softly for a few minutes.

_“Thank you.”_

Smiling, “You’re welcome, angel.”

_“Can I tell you something?”_

“Anything.”

_“I did not know what you meant when you told me you loved me four nights ago. The next morning I asked Dr. Baker to meet with me. He gave me some things to think about. I realized that I had been fighting my feelings for you for quite some time as well. I was planning to talk to you about it that night.”_

“Before I went and almost ruined everything for good.”, he says ruefully, rubbing his face with his hands.

_“No, Leonard, that is not why I mention it. He suggested that I search my heart, both the human and the Altan side, and I did. There was no division. When I was honest with myself, I realized that my entire heart was already bonded with yours in a different, deeper way than friendship. And it had been for a long time. I wanted you to know you were not alone in that.”_

“Can I just apologize one more time for that?”

_“As long as it is the last time. There is no reason to bring it up again. Oh, but there is one thing that frightened me a little that I should probably mention.”_

“What’s that?”

_”In all your data collection, did you discover anything that would explain why my body struggles with temperature regulation sometimes?”_

“No, I didn’t. But I wasn’t looking. Now that I know, I’ll see what I can find out.”

_“That might be a good idea. When it fluctuates like that I become concerned that it will get stuck at one extreme or another.”_

“That’s happened before?”

_“Once. When I was with Rafe. I would rather it did not happen again.”_

“I can understand that. It also explains some of your reaction to the medicines I've given you. I haven’t seen that particular side-effect before. Do you happen to know if that is unique to you or if it’s common to all Altan’s?”

_“I am sorry, I do not.”_

“Okay, darlin’. Well, I’m glad you told me. And I won’t bring it up again. But you wanted to come here before we started down this road. What did you have in mind?”

She looks at him for a minute, chewing her bottom lip. _“Before tonight I had never been kissed by a man.”,_ she pauses, her brow furrowing _._

“What are you trying to tell me, sweetheart?”, he asks tenderly.

_“I have never even seen a man. I mean, except fully clothed.”_

His eyes start to twinkle.

 _“Human alert!”,_ she writes. Then, _“Think about it, please, Leonard. Not that it matters, but you could be purple underneath your clothes and I would not know. I do not even know what part of you has hair and what part does not. And, yes, I suppose I could look it up, but until you kissed me tonight, I did not even care. I thought this room might be a good place for you to start teaching me.”_

He understands. This is her work space. There is no bed. She feels safe here. “Was there someplace you wanted to begin?”

_“You have already seen all of me. I would very much like to see what you look like under your shirt, if you do not mind.”_

She is looking down and blushing as he reads. He finds this new shyness endearing. He cups his hand under her chin and lifts her eyes to his. “Of course I don’t mind, darlin’. I’m yours now. You don’t need to be afraid or ashamed to ask me anything, okay?”

She nods and watches as he removes his shirt and undershirt. She studies him for a minute then looks up again, eyes wide.

_“Can I touch you?”_

“Be my guest.”

She reaches one arm out and places her hand on his neck just above his collarbone. She lets that hand slide down and across to his shoulder.

_“Your skin is warm. It feels nice.”_

Her hand runs down the length of his arm and back up again. Then that hand comes across and down, she lets her fingers comb through his chest hair. She leans into him and puts her head on his shoulder, letting her arms slide around his back. He wraps his arms around her and she breathes deeply as if she were inhaling him, before melting into his embrace.

After a moment he tilts her head up to get her to look at him. “Is everything alright?”, he asks.

 _“Oh yes.”_ Her eyes have a softness he hasn’t seen before. _“This is so much nicer without your shirt on.”_

The way she is looking at him is making him weak. He tilts her head up a bit more and kisses her tenderly and slowly. “Teach me how to love you.”, he whispers.

She shivers as he breaks contact. It takes her a bit before she is able to write. _“This is what I have been trying to ask of you. I know nothing of your body. I know nothing of physical pleasure – yours or mine. All I know is the comfort of your embrace and the power of your kiss. What kissing you does to me scares me a little. What else is there that I do not know about yet? And what will happen when I find out?”_

“I think I understand. This is new for you. Kitten, do you love me?”

  _“Yes. I have come to know and love your voice, your laugh, your mind, your heart.”_

“Those are the things that last. I almost hate to tell you this, but when we have been kissing each other for five or ten years it won't be as overwhelming any longer.”

She looks surprised and a bit disappointed. _“Really? Why not?”_

“Because humans are not designed to sustain that level of passion. The purpose of it is to bind us long enough for the other, more enduring connections to form.” Seeing her dismay, he smiles and embraces her. “Don’t look so sad, it will always be good. But you can stop worrying that you won't be able to handle it.”

_“You need to help me handle it now.”_

“I will. Just tell me what you want.”

_“I want everything. I want to know your body. What it looks like. I want to know the smell of you, the taste of you. I want to know the feel of every part of you so well that I could find you in the dark. I want all of you and I want you to have all of me.”_

“You don’t want much, do you angel?” He smiles at her earnestness. Seeing her seriousness he tries to reassure her. “I’m not teasing you, Zoe, sweetheart.”

Shaking her head, _“Leonard, I do not know how I am able to find words at all right now. I am all feelings and desires. My head is spinning. If I were not with you, if I did not trust you, I would be using the plants you do not want me to use. It must be getting late and we both need rest. But this new physical connection with you, this bond, is so real and so strong… I beg you, no matter what else you do, please do not leave me alone tonight.”_

The man in love sees the vulnerable vision in front of him, offering herself completely. The doctor sees the exhausted, overwhelmed, trusting friend. Both men see a future full of possibility stretching ahead.

“Darlin’, here’s what we’re going to do. We’re going to go to my room to get what I need for the night. Then we’ll go to your quarters to sleep. Just sleep. We have the rest of our lives for everything else.”

His answer is an immediate grateful embrace that almost knocks him over. When she is finally able to release him, she folds up the blanket and puts it aside, but not before writing, _“Will you at least kiss me goodnight before we go to sleep?”_

“Oh, sweetheart, I think I can handle that. And I’ll tell you something else. I actually get to take a day off every now and then to do what I want to do. You may not realize that because the past few weeks I’ve been spending those days with you, doing things that needed to be done. Well the day after tomorrow is one of those days. What do you say we spend it alone together?”

_“I would like that very much.”_

Back in Zoe’s cabin he notices that she has restored it to its original condition, removing all but a few of her drawings. She goes into the bathroom and comes out ready for bed dressed in what he recognizes as one of his t-shirts. When he comes out of the bathroom she is already in the bed on the far edge making as much room for him as possible. He sees her eyes widen as she takes him in. He is wearing nothing but his boxer shorts.

“This is what I look like under my clothes – well, most of them. Not purple, as you can see.”

She smiles and throws back the covers. As he settles in beside her she looks at him with a depth of love in her eyes that he almost can’t stand. Then she begins to touch him. Starting at his neck, moving down his shoulder to his arm. Reaching his hand, she brings his palm to her mouth and kisses it. Then she touches his torso and chest, moving her hand back up his body to his neck and his face, meeting his eyes again.

Reaching for her communicator she types, _“You are beautiful.”_

He cannot believe he is finally where he has wanted to be for so long. This amazing, incredible woman loves him – and trusts him. If he can just be patient, he knows that everything they both need and want is possible. He gives her the promised goodnight kiss. “Patience, man!”, he thinks, as she searches his eyes in surrender, her immediate response every bit as intense as the first time. As tired as he knows she is, it is only when he says, “Sleep, darlin’”, that she closes her eyes with a smile. He falls asleep holding her, wondering what tomorrow has in store.

 

 

 


	2. Chapter 2 - Day 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things are looking up!

Day 21

06:00 –

Bones wakes from the most restful sleep he can remember in some time. The feel of Zoe snuggled against him, her arm across his chest, stirs him deeply. He slips out of bed to shower, shave and dress before returning to wake her.

“Good morning, beautiful.”, he says, kissing her on both closed eyes and her nose before moving to her lips. By that time her eyes are open and she is returning his kiss. She stretches and reaches for her communicator. _“What a lovely way to wake up.”,_ she smiles.

“I couldn’t agree more.”

 _“I wish today was your day off.”,_ she types, wrapping her arms around him and resting her head on his shoulder.

“So do I, beautiful, but there’s something I’m working on that I want to try to finish today.”

_“Can you tell me about it?”_

“Later. How about I come and get you when my shift is over?”

 _“What is happening to me? Why can I suddenly not stand the thought of having to wait eight or nine hours to see you? Will this feeling fade as well?”_ The earnest look on her face reminds him that this is not flirting or flattery but an honest question.

“There’s not an answer to that question that’s going to make you happy, I’m afraid. Yes, darlin’, this feeling will fade. If it didn't neither of us would be able to do our jobs. Can you get through the day without ‘help’?”

She knows his concern. _“I will not need my teas. They are most helpful when I am sad or confused. I am neither of those things anymore.”_

“Kitten, you don’t know how happy I am to hear that.”

She retreats to the bathroom to get ready for the day. The Captain has cleared Zoe to make her way around the ship unescorted, so after a quick breakfast they go their separate ways.

  
10:00 –

Captain Kirk drops in on Zoe to check on her progress with the latest assignment that he has given her. He is surprised to find out that she has almost finished it, since his real reason for stopping by was to apologize for last night. He is even more surprised to find that her entire demeanor towards him has changed dramatically. He can’t remember what he was expecting before he got here but this certainly wasn’t it!

“Good morning, Zoe. May I come in?”, he asks from the door.

She gives him a big smile and waves him in the door as she picks up her communicator and types, _“Good morning, Captain. How are you today?”_

”Uh, fine, thank you, and you?”

_“Wonderful. I am so glad you came by. I will have the work you gave me wrapped up by the end of the day and I wanted to talk to you about an idea I have for my next assignment.”_

“Oh. Alright. But before we do, please let me apologize for last night…”

But she is already shaking her head and typing. _“Please, Sir, it is I who should be apologizing to you. It was unfair to put you in that position. At the time I could not think of another way to find out what I needed to know. Dr. Baker has my permission to answer any of your questions. I can only ask you to forgive me.”_

He reads and looks at her. “We’re okay, then?”

She smiles and nods and mouths, “Oh, yes.”

“Bones is okay, too?”

_“You haven’t seen him today?”_

“No, not yet.”

_“I trust you will find ALL is forgiven.”_

And then she winks at him! Who is this woman and what did she do with Zoe, he thinks to himself, determining to visit Bones as soon as he leaves.

_“So, my idea?”_

“Right.” He makes the supreme effort to switch back to Captain mode as she reminds him of the list she started for Dr. McCoy of medicinal plants she used to work with. She would like to take a personal inventory of what is grown on the ship, detail the properties of the ones she is familiar with and research the ones that she isn’t. Then she would like to begin formulating compounds for testing. Her thinking is that they are sitting on a goldmine of potential natural healing.

_“It means you will have your conference room back as I will be working in the Botanical Gardens or in Dr. McCoy’s office or lab.”_

“What about the windows? And your music?” He’s already made up his mind to agree, he’s just curious.

 _“I will miss the windows. I will just have to seek them out elsewhere. But plants respond to music, you know. I will continue to listen. There will just not be as much room to dance.”, _she smiles as he reads.

“Well, that sounds like a fine plan, Zoe. Write it up and I’ll approve it.”

 _“Thank you, Sir.”_ She claps her hands and gives him a little hug.

He is too surprised to return the hug, he just says, “See you later.”, and heads for Sickbay.

 _  
_ Kirk finds Bones in the lab, so intent on what he’s doing that he doesn’t hear him approach.

“Hey, Doc. What’s so fascinating?”, he asks from a safe distance.

“Jim! Hey! I didn’t hear you come in. Sit down.”

As Bones pulls up a chair for him, Jim stares at him, trying to make sense of this change. It’s like last night never happened. Hell, it’s like all the tension between the two men from the last two weeks is gone. It’s great, but what the hell happened?

Before he can even ask, Bones says, “Jim, thank you. I’ve been a shit friend lately and you deserve better. I’m sorry.”

“Okay, who are you and where are the real Bones and Zoe?”, Kirk asks exasperated.

Bones bursts out laughing. A real deep belly laugh like Jim can’t remember hearing in ages. “You’ve been to see her, too?”

“Yes. And whatever you’re both on, I want some.” The obvious joy of his friend is wearing off. Jim can't keep from smiling now as well.

“I don’t even know how to say it or what to call it because we have different words to describe it, but we had a long talk last night and decided to stop fighting our feelings for each other. We agreed that we want to be together forever, whatever that looks like, whatever that means.”

“Forever! You’ve only known each other three weeks!” But it doesn’t come across as disapproving or judgemental, just surprised.

“Right? I mean, my rational mind knows that. So does hers. But I’ve never been as sure of anything. And since last night – I don’t know how else to say it – everything makes sense. I feel lighter, like all this baggage I’ve been carrying has dropped.” He pauses and looks Jim straight in the eyes. “The only thing that matters is that we’re together.”

“So, are you talking marriage?”

“Huh. I hadn't thought about it. I guess, eventually. We haven’t talked about that. I don’t know what that looks like or means to her.”

“Oh, hey, that reminds me. I sent a communication to Alta the other day.”

“Oh, yeah?”

“Yeah, the day we gave her back her journal and the leaves. I wanted to try to get some information that would help us understand her better.”

“Have they responded?”

“Not yet. We’ve been getting closer, so it could be almost real time now. But I need to tell you something and I don’t want to kill your mood.”

“What’s that?”

“I led them to believe we were a couple. It seemed the request would carry more weight coming from her husband.”

“Huh. Well, I guess that makes sense.”

“You’re not angry?”

“I’m not. Have you said anything to Zoe about it?”

“No. I was waiting to see what kind of response we got.”

 “Well, that’s your call.” Then, as if suddenly remembering what he was doing, he says, still smiling, “Now, if you don’t mind, get out of here. I’ve got work to finish.”

“Alright.”, Jim says as he leaves.

   
12:00 –

Knowing that Leonard will be working through lunch, Zoe asks Nyota if she would like to join her. This will be their second lunch since they agreed to try to get together at least once a week after her welcome dinner. Zoe is anxious to get Nyota’s opinion, now that things have taken a turn.

The hour passes far too quickly, especially since Zoe seems to spend more time answering questions than she does asking them. But she is enjoying the time they spend together very much. Nyota is a strong woman, but she is at ease with herself, which puts Zoe at ease. She is real and genuine, interesting and intelligent. Zoe loves that she laughs quickly and easily. Zoe finds that she is relaxed and happy after they spent time together. The human concept of ‘girlfriends’ is starting to make sense to her.

  
18:00 –

When she has finished for the day Leonard has not appeared, so she makes her way to the Sickbay. She finds him in the lab surrounded by notes and samples, entering information in the computer.

“Zoe, come on in. I have something to tell you. This project I’ve been working on – it’s an experiment. I’ve been using the tissue samples you gave me and nanotechnology to see if your vocal chords can be restored.”

She searches his eyes but doesn’t move.

After a minute he slides the communicator to her and says, “Come on, sweetheart, say something.”

She blinks and shakes her head as if coming out of a trance. _“So, you must be telling me now because you think they can?”_

“Oh! Yes. I mean, it’s never been done before, but I’ve gone at it from every angle. Theoretically it should work.”

_“Well, I believe if anyone can do it you can.”_

“Darlin’, I’m asking you to be my patient again for a little while so that I can do this for you. What do you say?”

_“If it is what you want.”_

“If it’s what I want – hell, Zoe, I thought it would be what you wanted.”

Her brow furrows as she types, _“Forgive me. I can see I am not responding in the way you expected. It is not in my nature to react quickly or impulsively. But that does not mean that I do not admire you for what you have done or do not love you for doing it.”_ She reaches out and strokes his face.

He softens a little.

Trying to buy herself a little time to think she types, _“I have been trying to learn what a human male wants to hear…”_

He laughs. “Oh? Like what?”

_”Like, ‘Oh, Leonard, you are my hero’.”_

He reads this and looks up to see her batting her eyelashes at him exaggeratedly.

“Did they teach you to do that, too?”, he chuckles.

She nods, smiling.

“Zoe, precious angel, whoever these people are, do me a favor and stop listening to them, okay? I fell in love with you. I don’t want you to change into someone that you think will make me happier before I even get to know who you really are.”

 _“But…”,_ she begins to type before he puts his hand over her keyboard.

“Let me finish please, okay?” Another refreshing difference between Zoe and human women, he thinks to himself, none of the constant interrupting.

She nods.

“I understand that you are still learning who you really are. I understand that I still have to remind myself that you’re something other than human.”

She sighs. He read her mind.

“You know, I can’t get away with anything with you.”

He sees the question in her eyes.

“You look right through me and see the truth, even when I refuse to admit it, don’t you?”

Now he releases her hand, because he wants an answer.

She takes his hand and gazes at him with eyes full of love before typing, _“The important thing is not that I see the truth, but that you do.”_

“I see.”

_“Perhaps you do, perhaps not. One thing I do remember about Altans is that they value transparency. This is not to say that their motives are pure or their interests are selfless, they just do not waste time and energy disguising them. From what I have observed, there are a variety of ways in which humans manipulate each other. Other humans often applaud these methods as clever. On Alta these same acts would be universally reviled as antisocial acts of betrayal.”_

He whistles. “That’s harsh.”

_“I can see where a human would think so.”_

“Well, I have a confession to make. Restoring your vocal chords is what I want. Ever since Mr. Spock shared with us his telepathic experience of your song it’s all I’ve been able to think about. But I want you to want it, too.”

She starts to cry.

“No, angel, don’t cry.”

_“What is it with human males and tears? Do you rust or something?”_

She looks at him with such exasperation that he can’t help but laugh.

_“Leonard, I am going to go full Altan on you for a minute, is that okay?”_

Hesitantly, “O-kay?”

_“You all gave me life that I did not want. Then you gave me hope that I did not want. Then you, Leonard, gave me love that I did not want.”_

He can’t hide the hurt in his eyes.

_“NO! Let me finish! Do you know how hard it is to lose something – everything – and then be faced with the possibility of losing it again?”_

The realization is beginning to dawn on him.

_“I am not saying that I do not want it now. Now that I have it, I do. It is just…”_

“Stop. I get it.” He embraces her, rocking her gently. “You need time to get used to the idea. I don’t want to pressure you or rush you.” Still holding her tightly he puts a hand on her hair.

She shivers and pulls away a bit. She pushes the communicator just far enough to be able to type, _“Yes.”_

“Yes what?”

_“Yes, I want you to do it.”_

He glances down, then into her eyes. “Wait. What just happened?”

She sighs, pushes away a little more and types, _“I will tell you but only if you promise to hold me afterward until I tell you I have had enough.”_

“Deal.”

 _“I just realized how much this thing”,_ she points to the communicator, _“interferes with our intimacy.”_

“Yes?”

She looks at him for a moment before she continues. _“Well, if that is happening now, it is going to make it even harder for us to…”,_ she searches for the right word, _“progress?”_

“Oh, darlin’, no argument here. But I had no idea you were even thinking about ‘progressing’ already.”

 _“What I am thinking about”, _she looks at him pointedly, _“is that when you touch me things are beginning to happen. New things. Things I like. I want to be able to whisper those things in your ear.”_

He reads, closes his eyes and groans, opens them, sees her concern and says, “No, no. Remember, groans are good, groans are good.”

She smiles and he laughs.

_“That is becoming my favorite sound in the universe. It does things to me, too.”_

“Excuse me, I’ve got a surgery to schedule.”

She shakes her head. _“Groans may be good, but they make you forgetful. You promised to hold me.”_

“That they do, angel, and that I did. But it’s suppertime. Why don’t we grab a quick bite to eat and then I’ll hold you for the rest of the night if you want me to.”

_“That sounds perfect, k’diwa.”_

“What is ‘k’diwa’?”

 _“It is Vulcan for ‘beloved’.”_ Seeing the expression on his face she says, _“Perhaps you would prefer something else?”_

“I think so. If you don’t mind. Vulcan isn’t a language I connect with feelings of tenderness.”

_“I think in Vulcan more easily than English, you know. Vulcan will surprise you, milele.”_

“’Milele’?”

_“Swahili for forever.”_

“That one I like.”, he says and smiles. “What do you like me to call you?”

 _“Darlin’ is nice, because it is so very you. It emphasizes you_ r _accent. But my favorite will always be Kitten. When you call me Kitten I think of ‘kila kitu’, Swahili for everything. So, you could say to me, ‘Kitten, wewe ni kila kitu changu.’”_

“And that would be?”

_”Kitten, you are my everything. And I would answer, Leonard, ‘Wewe ni wangu milele.’ You are my forever.”_

“That’s beautiful, Kitten. But I can’t wait until I can hear it as well as read it. So, where would you like to eat tonight?”

_“Do you mind coming back to my quarters again? I have been waiting all day to be alone with you.”_

He gives her a quick squeeze and releases her. “Just give me a minute to wrap this up.” He quickly straightens and organizes his work and they are out the door together.  


Once in her cabin, Zoe reaches for his face with her hands, pulling him in for a kiss.

“Slow down, darlin’, we’re barely in the door.”, he laughs.

She lets him go and pulling out her communicator she types, _“Yes, but you have not kissed me since this morning.”_

He thinks back and realizes that he didn’t kiss her when she came into the lab. “Oh, Kitten, you’re right! I’m sorry.” Putting his arms on her shoulders he looks into her incredible eyes and says, “I’m going to fix that right now. But just one kiss, okay? After that, let me get out of these work clothes and get cleaned up and into something more comfortable and I’ll kiss you for as long as you can stay awake, alright?”

She smiles and nods. He leans in and takes her mouth with his, feeling her lips immediately part, soften and yield to his. Hearing the sharp intake of her breath as she remembers to breathe. Teasing her the slightest bit with his tongue, smiling as she answers in kind. “Better?”, he asks, pulling back to look in her eyes, loving what he sees there.

She nods and sighs and makes a shooing motion towards the bathroom. He takes that as his cue. He’s back out in no time, showered and dressed in a t-shirt and boxers. Her eyes widen in delight. She tries to keep him from noticing how her eyes want to wander and linger, but it’s a losing battle. She blushes furiously and hangs her head.

“It’s alright, Kitten. I’m all yours.”, he whispers, pulling her into his arms. She inhales deeply, memorizing his scent. Then she types, _“My turn. Would you select something for supper? Something that we can eat in the bed without making a mess. Just a little for me. I do not have much of an appetite for food tonight.”_

“My pleasure, sweetheart.”

She takes longer in the bathroom, undoing her braids to wash her hair. After lightly drying it she decides to put it back in a simple loose braid. She’s not ready to go there just yet. She puts on one of Leonard’s t-shirts to sleep in and comes out of the bathroom to find him sitting on the bed waiting for her.

She sees a plate with spears of fruit, raw and cooked vegetables and meats. _“Food on a stick? Leonard, that is brilliant!”_

“They’re called kebabs. Easy to eat, and easy to stop when you’re full.”

Zoe climbs over him to the far side of the bed, putting him between her and the plate of food. That way she gets to touch more of him when she decides to reach for something. He doesn’t miss the significance, either.

“I see what you just did there, darlin’. But I’d like to have a little fun, too. What would you like to start with? Fruit?”

She nods.

He picks up a spear. He rolls over to hover just above her, holding it just beyond her reach. “Open your mouth.”

Her eyes dilate as she does as she is told. He brings the first piece to her lips and paints them with it. She licks the juice off, waiting to see what he does next. He pushes the stack from the back and the soft sweet piece falls into her mouth. She begins to chew it and he leans down to kiss her, sucking on her lips. “Delicious! More?” She nods and he feeds her the remaining pieces the same way, one by one.

 _“My turn.”,_ she types, hearing his stomach growl and knowing he must be hungry. They go back and forth, feeding each other for a while until Zoe has had enough food.

 _“No more, please.”,_ she types. _“You finish it if you like. I have something to tell you.”_ While he nibbles the rest of the food, he reads about her conversation with Captain Kirk earlier that day, the proposal she wrote up and he promised to approve, and how it means that they will once again be working together. Or at least in the same area. _“If that is alright with you, of course.”_

“Alright? That’s great news! On so many levels!”

He embraces her, congratulates her and they do what little clean up needs to be done, brush their teeth and get back into bed where he makes good on his promise to kiss her until she can no longer stay awake. __  
  


 


	3. Day 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The relationship progresses...

Day 22 –

06:30 –

Bones decides to let Zoe sleep while he showers and makes them both coffee, but as he slips out from under her arm she wakes and grabs him. Holding him with one hand she finds the communicator with the other. _“Where are you going?”_

“Just thought I’d get showered and dressed and let you get a little more sleep, beautiful.”, he says with a smile.

_“Shower if you want, but do not dress, please.”_

He raises his eyebrows and smiles at her. “Are you always this bossy in the morning?”

She blushes a little. _“I said please. There was not time for me to see much last night. I meant what I said. I thought that was what today was for.”_

How could he forget. He sits back down beside her. She breathes deeply as she embraces him. _“You smell delicious. Do not shower because of me.”_

“Are you hungry?”

_“Not yet. You?”_

“Not really. Coffee would be nice, though.”

At this she gets up and walks over to prepare them both a cup. Handing him his, she sits back down and types, _“Where did this hair come from?”,_ handing him the communicator and using that hand to finger the stubble on his chin.

He suddenly realizes that this is the first time that she has seen him unshaven. “The hair on a human head keeps growing. We have to keep it cut. Men have to shave their faces every day unless they want to grow a beard and moustache.” Realizing that all of the men she has seen so far are clean shaven, he reaches for his PADD and pulls up a picture to show her. “Do Altan men have facial hair?”

She shakes her head no.

Then she rubs her fingers through the hair on his chest and looks at him questioningly.

“No. That hair doesn’t need to be cut. When it comes in it stays the same length. Same with the hair on our arms and legs.”

_“When it ‘comes in’?”_

“Right. Okay. Humans are born pretty much hairless. Oh, it’s there, but it’s fine and thin. Our heads get hair right away, and it keeps growing our whole lives. The hair on our arms and legs can become more visible as we age. You mentioned the signs of Altan adulthood. One of the signs of human adulthood is the appearance of hair in new places, the chest for men, the pubic area and the armpits for men and women. Many human women shave their legs and armpits the way men shave their faces.”

She looks at her arms and legs. There is no noticeable hair.

“Yes, that’s one difference. Your body hair is very fine, short and transparent. Your pubic hair is a little longer, but not much.”

She lifts the t-shirt to look. That’s when he notices that she isn’t wearing panties. He feels his body react to that sight just as she indicates that she wants to look at his pubic hair.

“Kitten, I promised myself – and you – that we would take it slow. I love your insatiable curiosity, but can we save something for later, please?”

She nods and it’s his turn to heave a sigh of relief.

She gets up again and replicates some breakfast food that she has seen him enjoy and brings it back to the bed on a tray where they can both reach it.

“So, Altan men and women never have to cut their hair?”

She shakes her head no. _“It grows to the same length and stops. For the men, a little below the shoulders. For the women, a little longer than mine.”_

“Tell me why you don’t allow men to touch your hair.”

 _“Would it be alright if we save that for a little later as well?”,_ she types, blushing.

“I suppose that’s fair.” He can’t hide his disappointment.

She is looking in his eyes again. _“May I touch your face?”_

“Sure, darlin’.”

She reaches out and the fingers of one hand brush through the hair above his ear as her thumb strokes across his eyebrow. Now her thumb moves down. He closes his eyes and feels it brush lightly across his lid. Then her hand slides lower and it is caressing his ear. Her forefinger and thumb are exploring every hill and valley. Has he ever been touched there before? Not like that, he thinks. Now her hand is low on his neck. Her thumb has found the spot just behind his earlobe while her fingers play with his hair.

 _“Does this have a name?”_ , she types. He realizes she is referring to the area her thumb has been circling and is now pressing slightly.

“Uh, no. It has no anatomic significance.”

_“Too bad. This is one of my favorite places so far.”_

“Well you’re certainly making it one of mine.”

Now her palm is back on his cheek and her thumb is brushing the length of the side of his nose, down and over just above his lips. Now she is cupping his jaw and sending her thumb across the area between his chin and lower lip. The whole time her eyes never leave his.

Damn! This is the sexiest thing he’s ever known. Is it because she’s in control? Is it because she has no idea what she’s doing to him? He isn’t sure, but it’s got to stop or she’s going to be in for a surprise she’s not ready for.

He groans and grabs her hand. “Zoe, baby, stop.”

She does, drops her hand in her lap and waits. No pouting. No anger.

When he doesn’t say anything else she types, _“I am confused. Your eyes were telling me you liked my touching very much. Was I wrong?”_

“No. No, you were very right. Sweetheart, I have to explain something to you, alright?”

She nods.

“Remember the involuntary reactions you told Dr. Baker that you were so concerned about?”

She nods.

“Well men have those too, but they’re harder to hide. They can also become physically uncomfortable.”

_“They make you groan.”_

“Yes.”

_“But you said that was pleasure.”_

“It is, at first, until it gets to be too much.

_“So, I am causing the reaction and denying you the relief?”_

“Sweetheart, it isn’t as simple as that…”

_“But this is why human couples engage in sexual intercourse, correct? To provide the physical relief that the man needs?”_

“That’s only one reason – and truthfully it’s the most unsatisfying, temporary reason. Sweetheart, there is a big difference between having sex and making love. One is a physical act to satisfy physical needs. The other is an expression of mutual love that satisfies both people, physically and emotionally, and brings them closer together.”

_“What I feel for you makes me want to do everything for you, emotionally, mentally, and physically. If you need something I want to help.”_

”Believe me, Kitten, I know that. I feel the same way. And there’s nothing I want more than to make love to you. But we’re not going there until I’m sure that you’re not simply trying to give me something that you think I need. I want to take you somewhere that you want to go as well.”

Seeing the disappointment in her eyes, he continues. “I’ll tell you what. You had your turn touching me a minute ago. Why don’t you give me a chance to see if I can make you feel the way you just made me feel?”

_“How did I make you feel?”_

“Like time stood still. Like your touch was all that existed. Like I could never get enough of you.”

“Oh.”, she mouths. Then she types, _“Okay.”_

He clears the food off the bed. “Would you like me to shave first?”

She shakes her head no. She doesn’t want to wait.

He smiles at her. He knows the reason. “Okay, to make it fair, I’m not going to kiss you on the lips since I already know what that does to you. Would you do something for me, though?

She nods.

“Would you mind taking your hair out of the braid? I love the way it looks hanging loose.”

It takes her a minute, but she makes up her mind. He watches as she uses her fingers to undo the loose braid, shake out her hair and allow it to fall loosely down her back.

For reasons he doesn’t understand he restrains himself from running his fingers through it immediately. “Thank you.”, he says, not failing to notice her visibly relax when she realizes that he is not planning to touch it as she was expecting. “Would you like to take off your t-shirt, or should I?”

It’s off and on the floor before he finishes the sentence.

He takes in the vision on the bed in front of him. Her creamy skin glows with an inner light. The marks and scars that decorate her perfectly proportioned body do nothing to detract from her beauty. She is his now, she has made that clear, and he is going to do his damnedest to make sure she knows how much he cherishes her.

He props some pillows and lays her back. “Now, just lie back and relax.” Kneeling on the side of her, he takes one hand and tilts her head in it, trailing kisses down the side of her face, pausing to suck her earlobe and lick the spot behind it that he had found so sensitive on himself. Her sharp intake of breath is a good sign. Nudging her head back he continues kissing her neck, stopping at the pulse point to suck it and give it a little nip. She gasps and shudders. He continues kissing down to her collarbone and across to the hollow at her shoulder, occasionally blowing softly on the moisture left behind by his tongue.

Her heartbeat has accelerated. When he feels her touching him back, he takes her hands and puts them at her sides, murmuring “mm-mm.” He slides down to lie beside her, one hand still on her face, the other stroking the length of her body. He lets his hand wander over every hill and valley. As he does this he uses his mouth to trail kisses across her hips, up her sides, talking to her in between. Telling her how much he loves her, how beautiful she is, how good she feels. He brushes his hand through her pubic hair lightly, just taking a quick check. She has closed her eyes, lost in the new sensations, but her outer lips remain closed.

Cupping one of her perfect breasts in his hand, he brushes his thumb across her nipple and feels it snap to attention. She gasps again as he takes that same breast in his mouth and teases her with his tongue. She trembles a little and her hands fist in the sheets. Looking up at her, he brings both hands up and, instinctively, spreads his fingers and runs them into and through her hair for the first time.

As he does her back arches and she shudders and gasps as if experiencing an electrical shock. Her eyes fly open to meet his. Hers are moist with unshed tears and she is breathing heavily. He has removed one hand from her hair and is stroking her face, searching her eyes. Seeing his look of concern, she takes that hand and places it between her legs. Suddenly she is wide open and soaking wet.

His eyes widen. “Oh, my sweet baby.”, he whispers, forgetting his promise and kissing her deeply.

She shifts toward him, returning his kiss. Her wetness covers his hand and emboldens him a little. Slowly, gently he slips one finger inside her. Keeping one hand in her hair he moves down, removes his fingers and begins sucking and kissing her there. Glancing up at her he sees that her eyes have gotten huge and she is biting her lower lip. He comes back up and runs his thumb softly across it to get her to let go before kissing her again.

“My sweet, beautiful girl. Do you know what you do to me?”

She smiles at this and releases some of the tension she has been holding.  Her hands are on him again, and this time he lets them roam.

“Am I making you feel good?”

Her eyes are glazed, but she smiles and nods.

“Do you want me to stop?”

She shakes her head emphatically with a look that he’s going to ask her about later, but he’s pretty sure it means he had damn well better not.

He keeps one hand in her hair and moves the other one back down between her legs. She is even wetter now. He slides two fingers inside her. She gasps, but she doesn’t pull away. Instead she surprises him by slipping her hand down and into his boxers. He hisses as she makes contact and rubs then squeezes.

“Kitten, we were going to take it slow. Save something for later, remember?”, he forces himself to whisper.

No, she shakes her head. _“Now.”_ , she mouths.

“Are you sure? I need you to be sure.”

As he searches her eyes the fog of desire is joined by the familiar look of pure and absolute love. She nods and smiles.

His boxers come off as quickly as her t-shirt did. He straddles her, kissing her neck, her breasts, her belly, before coming back up to look at her eyes again. “Zoe, darlin’, I’m sorry, this might hurt a little, since it’s your first time. Just squeeze my shoulder if you need me to stop, okay?”

She nods, and he leans down to kiss her open mouth again. Her eager response is all the encouragement he needs. He has wanted this for so long. She is so wet. He slides in easily, meeting no resistance. Right now he doesn’t care if it was the doctor who put in the implant, or carrying Rafe around for four years, or if Altan women don’t have hymens, he is just so happy that he didn't cause her any pain.   

She is moving with him. His hands are still in her hair. Her head is swaying back and forth, eyes closed, mouth open. He moves his mouth to one of her breasts and sucks, then lightly bites the nipple. As he does he feels her start to buck underneath him. She has begun to pant, her breath a series of quick rhythmic exhalations. He feels her inner walls contracting rhythmically and it sends him over the edge. They cling to each other as their bodies ride out the crescendo and descent.

As they lie there in the afterglow, spent but no longer panting, they turn to look at each other. Amazement turns to amusement. They laugh, she silently, he making the delightful sound that she has come to love _._

When she has come back to herself she types, _“Leonard, I had no idea. Do not ever tell this to Dr. Baker or Mr. Spock, but I have revised my opinion. Now I am impressed that humans get anything done at all when they know they could be doing this!”_

He laughs again.

She blushes as she hands him her communicator. _“Can we do it again?”_

He wastes no time showing her his answer.

 

Sometime later, lying in each other’s arms, he asks her, “I need to understand about your hair, Kitten. It’s clear that you don’t want men to touch it – you’ve barely been able to let me near it until today. And then, when I did…”

 _“This is going to take a little time.”_ She blushes again.

“That’s okay. I’m not going anywhere.” He smiles at her. The blushing is new. Nothing, not even her nakedness, has caused her to blush before.

_“You know that my mother did not think it necessary to teach me about physical intimacy. Please keep in mind that everything I have learned on that subject I have learned since arriving here.”_

“Okay.”

_“I had observed the practice on Alta of adult women keeping their hair intricately braided but did not begin to guess at the reasoning behind it until you began to prepare my hair to be washed. Do you remember that day?”_

That was the third day she was here, he remembers. Looking at her seriously he says, “Zoe, Kitten, I will never forget that day. Can I tell you why?”

She nods.

“It was the first time you refused to look me in the eyes. I couldn’t bear that.” He pauses. “Then, when I saw you had bitten through your lip…I can’t tell you how horrible I felt that I had caused that or how much I wanted to be the one to make it better…I was frustrated because I didn’t know how.”

 _“That is why you avoided me.”_ She nods with tears in her eyes, finally understanding.

“You don’t miss much, do you darlin’?”

She shrugs. _“I just do not always understand the why.”_

“What happened that day?”

 _“Something I did not understand. Something - unexpected.”_ She bites her lip to keep from crying. _“What happened here today, when you were making love to me, when you ran your fingers through my hair – something like that started to happen that day. It frightened me.”_

He moves to embrace her, but she breathes deeply and types, _“If you want your answer you will let me finish.”_

“Alright, Kitten.” But he moves beside her so that he can read as she types.

 _“My hair and scalp are extremely – sensitive? Receptive? My greatest pleasure as a child was having my mother comb my hair, especially as she sang to me. Nothing brought me more peace, security.”_ She closes her eyes, reliving the memories. _“When my hair is being combed I feel safe and loved. Transported? Removed? Rafe would often do this for me in my low moments.”_

“But Rafe was a male. Why didn’t it affect you differently when he did it?”

_“I never wondered about that because I never knew there was a ‘differently’. All I can think is that the intimacy that Rafe and I shared was mental and intangible. This response seems to be triggered by physical intimacy. Since I had known none, I did not miss it. When Rafe combed my hair he gave me what I was missing. Nyota and your nurse were kind enough to give it to me as well.”  _

“Why do you think it was different with me?”

She looks at him, considering. _“I can only speculate. It shocked me when it happened. What happened. It had never happened to me before.” _She stops. _“So much has happened to me, inside me, in three short weeks. Things I had no preparation for, no knowledge of, no way to process or understand – and no one who could really help me understand.”_

Seeing the dismay on his face, she quickly adds, _“No, you all tried your best. I know that. And you were the one who was able to help me the most. Even those first days when I did not know where I was or who I was with or whether I even cared…there was something in your eyes. From the beginning, I saw something there, in your eyes, that I had never seen in anyone before and – perhaps more importantly – have not seen in anyone else since.”_

He sees that she is struggling to try to find words, so he waits while she pauses for a few moments.

_“I have heard you explain to the others that eye contact is important to me. And it is. And I thank you. But one reason that I search so deeply into the eyes of those I have met here is because I am looking for what I see in you.”_

“And what is that, Kitten? Can you tell me?”

_“I have tried. When we were talking about my knife and I told you that you make me forget you are human. When we were in your office and I was trying to find words for the connection I felt, the understanding that you naturally show…. I do not know what it is or what to call it, but it is why I offered you my friendship._

_“You act as if you do not think very highly of yourself at times. You tell me you are ‘only human’. But I believe you are unique – as unique as I am. You are ‘more than’. You are ‘other’. I saw it, I felt it, before I knew you. I am sorry that I cannot give you a better answer at this moment. What I can tell you is that whatever it is, it is what made it possible for me to love you.”_

“I want to understand. There’s a place inside of me where the things you’re saying make sense, but my scientific brain would sure like some answers.”

_“Milele, do you not see? I want the answers to the same questions that you do. I do not have them to give you. My greatest relief is that we have managed to get ourselves here, in a position to discover the answers together.”_

He has to laugh at that, seeing that their ‘position’ is currently stark naked on the bed.

She rolls her eyes, but she smiles. _“Does everything go back to that for humans? I enjoy sharing our nakedness but if it distracts you we can dress.”_

“Maybe I just need to get used to it. Or maybe I enjoy undressing each other as well.” He is smiling also, but he tosses her his t-shirt and pulls his boxers back on before sitting back down.

He wraps her up in his arms. This time she inhales his scent and he feels her melt into him in a way he has not felt before. His heart swells.

He whispers his deepest fear. “Zoe, my angel, sometimes I’m afraid I’m going to hurt you again.”

_“Dearest, it’s not going to happen.”_

“How can you possibly know that? Is seeing the future another one of your ‘gifts’?”

She feels the truth of his concern behind his sarcasm. _“Let me ask you this, are you a vengeful man?”_

“I don’t think so. Hotheaded, maybe…”

Definitely, she thinks, but she keeps that to herself. _“Are you vindictive?”_

“No.”

_“So, I have assessed correctly that it is not in your nature to intentionally hurt anyone. In fact, just the opposite. I have observed you go out of your way to help people, often in such a way that they do not know you had a hand in it.”_

“I’ll say it again, you don’t miss much.”

_“I pay attention.”_

“Yeah, well, those same people might accuse me of hurting their feelings because I don’t use the right words or tone of voice.”

_“Irrelevant. The point is that you care. You do your best to make a difference where it matters most. It is not your job to win a popularity contest.”_

“I wish you did my performance evaluations.”

_“Leonard, there is something that you need to know. I have wanted to tell you but it is difficult with English – well, any human – vocabulary. Please do your best to think like an Altan.”_

“How am I supposed to do that?”

_“You already do it better than you realize. Maybe this will help – try to think of what I am saying the opposite of how a human man would think about it.”_

“I’ll try.”

_“The reason I do not think you will hurt me is because from my first conscious – and, yes, unconscious as well – moment on this ship you responded to my being, my essence. Your emotions and reactions affected me before any treatment did.”_

She sees him struggling to understand so she continues. _“You believe I healed on my own. I didn’t. Altans are - holistic? The practice of human medicine is that the treatment of an illness or an injury is specific to that illness or injury. The process of setting a bone or the medicine used to treat an allergic reaction has little to do with the individual needing care, correct?”_

“For the most part, and for the sake of your point, okay.”

_“An Altan treated by a hostile or indifferent physician will not thrive and may not heal. Did you notice that you spoke to me differently than to your other patients? That you spent more time with me? Did you not find it unusual that you just knew when I was hungry, thirsty, tired, angry, sad or scared? And you knew what to do about it.”_

She smiles at him. _“Consider this, your frustration with your Captain and the others was not so much that they were doing the wrong thing all the time, but that you knew it was the wrong thing.”_

She pauses as she sees him remembering. _“That is right. You are seeing it now. My broken body spoke to you and you listened and gave it what it needed. My broken heart and shattered soul were beyond hope, on the brink of madness, but somehow you sensed that and stayed by my side all night. You kept me from going over the edge. Dr. Baker sensed it. He said something about it the next day. He just did not know what it was. Your presence was my lifeline. The i.v. that the invisible, intangible part of me would have died without.”_

And the list goes on, she thinks. _“You kept me alive, Doctor McCoy. Had you been Altan you would have understood. The fact that you instinctively responded without understanding is incredible to me.”_

_“Yes, Leonard, you hurt me once. But it wasn’t groundless or cruel. I had frightened and angered you. You did not have what you needed at that time to think like anything other than a human. And the pain it caused you was far worse than the pain it caused me. It just took me a while to see that._

_“What you need to see is that I am equally to blame. I had no idea what to do with the information that you had given me the night before. I did not understand what you were telling me when you said you loved me. Dr. Baker helped with that a little, but I was still confused. Then there was the other news you had given me. That was too raw and too personal. The one person I would have sought out for help was you, but now I could not. You see, distancing myself from you left me truly alone on this ship, and I was fighting my feelings for you. Trying to protect myself. That is why I considered leaving. I realized that I could not stay unless I could give you all of me. Now perhaps you understand what I meant by the risk I was taking when I allowed you to kiss me.”_

“Zoe, darlin’, I just have to make sure I’m understanding what I’m hearing. In the past 24 hours you have told me that I have your mind, heart and body forever, that you couldn’t bear to lose me, and now you are saying that you have given me all of you… Forgive me for asking Kitten…”

_“I love you, Leonard.”_

He nods. That’s what he needed to hear.

_“I still need you to teach me what this word means to you, but whatever my love is you have it, because you have everything.”_

At this he rolls her over on the bed and pours all the tenderness that has been swelling up inside him into long, slow, soft kisses. He vows to himself that he will do everything in his power to be worthy of the absolute love and trust that she has given him.

When he lets her up for air she types, _“If I could bottle what your kisses do to me I would never need those plants in the drawer. Please tell me that you are no longer afraid that you will hurt me. I promise that I will never give you cause to.”_

“If you can conquer your fear of loving me, I suppose I can conquer my fear of hurting you.” He smiles.

She hugs him tightly.

“Did you have anything in mind for the rest of the day?”

_“I have a few suggestions.”_

“Let’s hear them.”

_“Since we’re conquering fears, it’s almost lunchtime and I have never eaten in one of your ship’s dining areas. Now that I am with you I am not as afraid to be out among the crew. Maybe we could shower and get dressed and you could take me to lunch?”_

“I’d like that. What are your other ideas?”

_“I know we do not have time for them all today, but I enjoyed dancing with you. I would like to do that again. I understand there is a swimming pool on the ship, I would like to go swimming with you. And I would like it if you shared with me some of the activities that you enjoy. I know nothing of what you like to do for fun and relaxation.”_

“Well what we just did is at the top of the list.”, he says, grinning at her.

 _“And I would like to do much more of that as well.”,_ she grins back. _“I am perfectly willing to put myself in your capable hands and let you take it from there.”_

“My pleasure, darlin’.”


	4. Day 23

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Plans are made for a visit to Alta

Day 23

06:30 –

Waking up in Zoe’s arms is something that Leonard wonders how he ever did without. Warmth and peace wash over him in waves. She is the first thing he feels when he begins to wake and the first thing he sees when he opens his eyes. It feels so right he has a hard time believing that it has only been a few days. He silently prays that he continues his habit of waking first because it gives him a few precious minutes to get his fill of looking at her.  This is love like he’s never known. Hell, this is love like he’s never even heard of.

She must have sensed his eyes on her, because she slowly opens hers to meet them. Her face lights up with the smile that she saves just for him. She lies there, barely moving, just drinking him in with her eyes, which tells him that she is feeling the same.

He breaks the silence. “Waking up this morning I remembered something that I read long ago. I want to share with you. I think you’ll appreciate it.”, he says.

She waits, listening.

“I may not get it exact, but it was along the lines of ancient Egyptians having 50 words for sand and Eskimos having 100 words for snow. The last line was something like, ‘I wish I had 1,000 words for love, but all I can think of is how you move against me when you sleep - and there are no words for that.’”

She embraces him and gives him a slow deep kiss before reaching for her communicator. _“Milele, you are a poet!”_

“Darlin’, they’re not my words. I just borrowed them.”

 _“You made them yours._ _Can you do the vocal chord surgery today?”_

“Boy, you can go from zero to 60 faster than anyone I’ve ever known!”, he laughs.

Zoe knits her brow, not understanding the reference.

“I’ll explain that expression to you later. I need to run it by the Captain and get him to sign off on it, but we can probably do it tomorrow if you’re in that big of a hurry.”

_“There is just so much that I want to say to you…”_

“I understand. I do.” They take a few more minutes to enjoy each other before getting out of bed to start the day.

 _  
_ “So, where are you working today?”, he asks.

_“I will start in the Botanical Gardens. I think it might be easier if I end the day in your office, adding information to the file I have already begun. Does that work for you?”_

“I think that would be nice. If it starts to interfere with anything you can transfer your file, or files, to the computer in the lab.”

Having settled that, they part to begin their day.

  
10:30 –

Bones is paged to the bridge.

“I’m glad you sent for me. I was about to come to see you about something anyway.” At the look on the Captain’s face, Bones decides that his request can wait a bit. “What’s up, Jim?”

“Take a walk with me.”, Kirk answers. “Spock, you have the conn.”

“Aye, Captain.”

 

They head over to Kirk’s cabin. Once inside, he indicates for Bones to sit.

“Remember the other day when I came to see you and told you I had sent a message to Alta?”

“Yeah…”

“Well, we got a response.”

“Okay.”

“I don’t want to say much right now, because Zoe needs to hear it as well, but there is bad news. Her mother is dying.”

“Wow.”, Bones breathes a long sigh. “How long has she got?”

“They made it sound like a matter of days.”

“How fast can we get there?”

“Top speed, best conditions, four days. It might be more like five or six.”

“Crap.” Bones leans back in his chair and closes his eyes. “What are you going to do?”

“Barring objections from Starfleet Command, I say we get there as fast as we can. Are you and Zoe free for lunch? I’d like to meet with the two of you to talk about what the rest of the communication contained and how we should answer.”

“Yeah. Right. Okay.” Bones is sitting there stunned.

“You said you were coming to see me?”, Kirk asks.

“Oh, right. When you came to see me in the lab that day, I was working on a procedure to restore Zoe’s vocal chords so that she could speak again. It hasn’t been done before, but all indications are that it will work. She wants it. I was coming to get you to sign off on the surgery so that I could do it tomorrow morning.”

“That quickly, huh?”

“Why wait? Right now my schedule is pretty open. It’s a short procedure and fairly low risk.”

“You know I trust you, so if she does as well, go for it. As for the timing, it is what it is.”, Kirk says, shaking his head slowly. “What’s the recovery period?”

“Well, I can only guess. She heals so quickly, but even so she’ll be in Sickbay for at least 48 hours for i.v. nourishment. No eating or drinking – except maybe ice chips – for that time. After that she’ll be back on her feet, but she will have to limit the amount of talking she does and keep it to a whisper for the first week or so. That’s about it.”

“Alright. Set it up. See the two of you back here at 13:00?”

“Yes, Sir.”

  
13:00 –

Bones sends a message to Zoe, asking him to meet him in the Sickbay for lunch, but decides to save the details until he sees her. When she arrives, he’s ready. On the way out the door, he tells her they are meeting with the Captain in his cabin.

_“Is everything alright? Did he approve the surgery?”_

“The surgery is a go. First thing tomorrow morning, if you still want it.”, he says.

_“Why would I not want it?”_

“Sweetheart, the Captain has some news for you. Why don’t we hear what he has to say before we talk any more about tomorrow, okay?”

She nods. They are almost at Kirk’s cabin. She will have her answers soon enough.

  
Captain Kirk lets them in and motions them to the seating area around his coffee table where he has set out a selection of sandwiches and coffee. “Help yourselves.”, he says, taking a chair across from the couch where Zoe and Bones have settled.

Zoe isn’t hungry, but she takes a cup of coffee just to have something to do with her hands.

Jim and Bones both choose a sandwich and take a bite.

“Zoe, I need to tell you something.”, Jim begins.

She just nods and waits.

“Last week, when you were struggling with not being understood, with the trouble we were all having with your ‘otherness’, as you put it, I sent a message to Alta.”

They watch as the color drains from her face and her shaking hand barely gets the cup on the table without spilling it. Her heart begins to race and her breathing becomes erratic, but she waits.

“We were close enough for a message to be received. I requested any information they were willing to share with us to help us understand your race, your culture, your nature. I received a response today.”

Now she looks up at him in shock. _“ Why did you not consult me?”_

“I apologize. I should have. Bones will tell you, sometimes I act impulsively.”

Bones just snorts softly. He’s too concerned about Zoe right now to add fuel to this fire.

_“What is done is done. And you called us here to share the response?”_

“Yes. I won’t make you wait. Your mother is dying. They don’t expect her to last more than a few more days.”

Zoe’s elbows are on her knees, her head is in her hands. Bones is rubbing small circles on her back with one hand. After a few minutes she looks up and reaches for her communicator. Both men are surprised to see no tears.

 _“Gentlemen, I lost my mother years ago. I had no expectation of ever seeing her again.”_ , she types in answer to their unspoken question. _“Captain, am I to…”_

“Jim, please.”

_“…am I to understand that we are on a course that is taking us closer to Alta?”_

“Yes.”

_“And we have been on this course since I came aboard?”_

“Yes. Why do you ask?”

 _“It is my own fault for not asking before. This is my first time on a ship like this._ _I had no idea where we were or where we were heading. I thought this ship was continuing with whatever original mission brought you to the planet where you found me. I should have asked more questions.”_

She looks up at the Captain before continuing. _“Now I have only one question. Why?”_

“Zoe, we did not change our mission because of you. Our five-year mission is to seek out new life and new civilizations. To go where no one has gone before. Alta fits that description perfectly. But, yes, to be honest, if we had not found you, we might have gone in a different direction. When you came aboard, it seemed like there was no reason not to go that way, in case you decided you might want to at least see your family again.”

“Zoe, darlin’, do you not want to go back? At least to see your mother?”, Bones asks.

_“I thought I had made it clear. I was told not to return. Ordered, in fact. I mourned this loss a long time ago. As for ‘family’, my mother was the only person on the planet – save one or two personal attendants – who did not treat me like an unwanted outcast. There is nothing for me there.”_

“Well, that does throw a wrench in the works.”, Kirk admits.

“What are you talking about, Jim?”, Bones asks.

“The response we received included a strongly worded ‘request’ that we get Zoe to Alta as quickly as possible. Since the initial contact was from a Federation Starfleet vessel, to refuse would not be ‘diplomatically advisable’ – their words, not mine.”

_“Did the request come directly from my mother?”_

“There is no indication that it did, but I would assume so.”

She looks directly at him again. _“An assumption like that is not wise.”_

“Zoe, what are you thinking?”, Bones asks softly.

_“That I need a little time alone to think like an Altan. Someone has an agenda, and I need to try to figure out who and what it is.”_

“In that case, why don’t I just let you read the transcript of the response and then I will leave you to do just that.” Kirk hands her a piece of paper.

After a moment she looks up at the two of them, puts the paper down and types, _“What is this about a husband?”_

“Oh, right.”, Jim answers. “I felt a justification for you being on this ship and my request for information was called for.”

_“So you said you were my husband?”_

Uh-oh, Bones thinks to himself. I knew there was something I needed to tell Jim.

“Yes.”

_“So you lied?”_

“Jim, don’t even try to excuse or defend it. I just found out myself that Altans adhere very strictly to the truth. They find little else as reprehensible as falsehood, no matter the justification.”

“Oh, that’s just great. That little fact would have been useful to know.”, Jim says to no one in particular.

 _“ Precisely the reason that consulting me would have been advisable.”_ She is not angry, simply weary and resigned.

“Zoe, you’re right. I’m sorry. What can I do?”

_“How long before we reach Alta?”_

“Roughly five days from today.”

_“And if I requested that you turn the ship around?”_

“Now that they are, in effect, expecting us, I don’t know how I would justify that. Is there something that you aren’t telling us? Do you believe that you, or this ship, would be in danger?”

_“I wish I knew. My mother was always my protector. But if she is as ill as you say, she may not be able to advocate on my behalf. Now that my father and brothers know that I am alive and returning… The best I could hope for would be that they allow me to see my mother and go on my way. The worst would be they might somehow prevent me from leaving again. I have been away for almost 20 years. The Altan technology that existed when I left would have easily allowed them to find and contact me had they been so inclined. The fact that they have not speaks volumes to me.”_

“It sounds as if you are saying that Altan technology matches or surpasses ours?”

_“In the area of intelligence, yes. My father thrives on knowledge. He has far-reaching influence throughout our galaxy. He uses information the way other kings use weaponry. We have many powerful allies on other planets who find it in their best interest to keep us neutral. Our peace has historically been obtained and kept through means other than military. This is not to imply that the use of deadly force has not been employed in specific circumstances. Altan’s do not share the human value of the equal sanctity of all life.”_

“Zoe, are you concerned for your own life if you go back?”, Bones asks her softly.

She hands him the communicator. _“Leonard, if you knew how much I want to say ‘absolutely not’, but I simply cannot. I do not know if my blood connection carries any weight any more. It pains me to think about it, but it is not inconceivable that I would be considered dispensable if I posed a threat of any kind, real or perceived.”_

Bones passes the communicator to Jim. After he reads it they look at one another. Do they take her at her word? Or is this her woundedness speaking? Surely her own family couldn’t be that cold and unfeeling? Bones makes a note to discuss this with Kirk, Spock and Baker when he has the opportunity, but knowing that Zoe does not exaggerate or embellish, he senses that there is merit to what she is saying, and they need to consider it.

_“I know you are the Captain, but for all of our sakes, if you insist on this visit, I must ask to be fully apprised of every detail going forward from here. And I must insist that everyone involved agrees to defer to me in all decisions. Would that be possible?”_

“I believe so.”

_“Please be certain. We have all seen the results of knowledge gained too late. In this situation the stakes may be higher.”_

“Darlin’, can you be more specific?”, Bones asks her.

 _“Not right now, milele. Give me some time to think, please?”_ This time she shows the communicator to him alone before erasing it and typing, _“Captain, may I contact you later, after I have had a chance to get my thoughts in order?”_

“Certainly.”, Kirk agrees. “Please get back with me as quickly as you can. As you can see, they are expecting a response.”

 _“Of course. Please excuse me, gentlemen. Finish your lunch. I will be in my cabin.”_ She gives Bones a quick peck on the cheek and leaves them.

When she is gone, Bones speaks. “Jim, there is more going on here than meets the eye.”

“I tend to agree with you. Let’s hear what Zoe has to say after she has had some time to process. Then we’ll bring the others in on the planning.”

  
Bones checks in on Zoe on his way back to Sickbay from Jim’s cabin. She is deep in thought and not ready to talk. He asks if she wants him to reschedule her surgery. She insists on going ahead with it. She needs to be alone and she knows that preparing for tomorrow will give him something to keep his mind occupied. He reluctantly leaves her, assuring her he’ll be back as soon as he can.

  
18:00 –

Zoe is deep in thought, doodling in one of her sketch pads when Bones returns from his shift.

“Have you managed to figure anything out?”

_“This makes no sense. I thought I was disowned. My father is not one for second chances. I would have expected him to respond by demanding that we stay away, not insisting that I be returned.”_

“Perhaps your mother changed his mind?”

_“It is possible. But it is equally possible that this information is being kept from her.”_

“To what end?”

She just shakes her head and shrugs.

“Well, let’s go talk to Jim.”

  
They contact the Captain and head to his cabin. On the way there, Bones asks Zoe if she wants to go ahead with the surgery in the morning. She assures him that she does.

Kirk informs them that he has requested that Mr. Spock, Dr. Baker, Mr. Scott, Mr. Chekov and Lt. Uhura join the group. When they arrive, he fills them in on the communications that have been exchanged. Nyota is aware as she has done the sending and receiving. He asks Chekov and Scotty for their help in getting to Alta as quickly as possible. “Zoe, would you like to take it from here?”

She nods.

But Bones speaks first. “Zoe and I want to share some news with all of you before we get started. Most of you have probably figured this out already, but just in case, we are…”, he smiles at her and she smiles back, “…in a relationship. Call it whatever you want, the bottom line is we want to be together forever – whatever that looks like. Right, darlin’?” He looks at her and her smile is enough of an answer to satisfy everyone.

After a moment of stunned silence the room erupts with questions.

“Guys, can we table this for now? We’ll talk to all of you more and answer your questions once we have this situation figured out, okay?”

They settle down reluctantly. “For the sake of time, I’ll read what Zoe types. Feel free to ask questions – about the topic – as they arise.

She begins typing and Bones begins reading. She starts by repeating everything she shared with him earlier, as well as her frustration with being unable to make any sense of it and her general unease about the visit. She continues by saying that it has been 17 years since she has had any contact with anyone from Alta. She feels certain that they at least knew her whereabouts until four years ago. Now that they have been contacted by a Federation Starship Captain claiming to be her husband, she would imagine they have some questions about the last few years. What makes it more difficult is that the return communication was vague, coming not directly from her mother or father, but from a ‘royal representative. _“There is something I am missing here, I can feel it. If it was my father passing or if I were next in line for the throne, then it might make sense. But neither of those things is the case. That is all I can think to tell you at this time.” _

“Thank you, Zoe.”, Kirk says. “I will send another message informing Alta that we will be arriving in approximately five days. I will let them know that only a brief visit will be possible at this time. Let’s see what kind of response that gets.”

“Jim, can Zoe and I be excused? We haven’t eaten yet and she still wants me to do the surgery tomorrow morning.”

“Yes, you two are dismissed.”

Seeing the questioning looks of the others, Bones adds, “Sorry everybody. Jim, go ahead and fill them in for us, okay?”

“Sure thing.”

They slip out to the sound of everyone talking at once.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The quotation that Bones remembers is from "Trusting Soul - Collected Stories and Drawings" by Brian Andreas.  
> The title is "No Words".  
> The complete quotation is:  
> "I read once that the ancient Egyptians had fifty words for sand & the Eskimos had a hundred words for snow. I wish I had a thousand words for love, but all that comes to mind is the way you move against me while you sleep & there are no words for that."


	5. Days 24 - 25

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dr. McCoy does it again!

Day 24

07:00 –

As Zoe lies on the operating table, lightly sedated, she thinks about the events of the previous day. Her normally ordered and logical mind is currently incapable of reason. Is Destiny kind or cruel? She can’t decide. If she had died with Rafe and their children she would have felt that her life had meant something, that she had fulfilled her purpose. But that was not to be. If she had died after having helped to put an end to the reign of terror perpetrated by her abductors she would have had no regrets. But that was not to be either. Instead Destiny overrode her desire, her nature, her will, by not only preserving her life, but by presenting her with an unexpected gift – a kind of love she had never known existed from a kind of man she never knew existed. So, would it be too much to ask to have some time to enjoy the very thing she just stopped resisting? Why, after all this time, does she have to deal with her family again now?

As she tries to settle her mind and emotions, Leonard leans over her, gloved and gowned, ready to operate.

“We’re going to put you under now, Kitten. I’ll see you in a few hours, okay? I love you.” He leans down to kiss her.

Yes. Knock me out, she thinks, as she smiles at him and closes her eyes.

  
The operation goes smoothly. No surprises. No complications.

A few hours later, as Dr. McCoy is waiting for her to come out of the anesthesia, he notices that Zoe’s skin is becoming warm and dry. He looks up at the bioscanner. Her temperature is climbing. He barks an order for hypospray medication. It is delivered and administered.

What’s going on? He runs a scan. Everything seems alright. There are no signs of infection or rejection. Is this just her body reacting to the foreign substance? If that is the case the medication should be helping, but it isn’t. Half an hour later her temperature is still climbing. Nurses have begun to sponge her with cool damp cloths.

She opens her eyes and they lock on his. She is nodding yes. “Yes what? Tell me, sweetheart.”

But she can’t speak yet and she’s too weak to write. Her eyes close again. Wait. What did she tell him? Something about her temperature regulator. Damn, what was it? It needed a shock reset sometimes – that was it. But how, Kitten? How do I do that? Her temperature is still climbing. If he doesn’t do something her brain is going to fry.

“Doctor, perhaps we should try an ice bath.”, one of the nurses suggests. He doubts it will work, but he has no other ideas. He gives the nurse the go ahead as he scoops Zoe up, places her on a gurney and heads for the p.t. lab. The shock of the contact of the ice on her skin causes her eyes to fly open again. She is shivering but her temperature is still climbing. He cradles her head and looks into her eyes and suddenly he knows. Leaving her in the care of the nurses for a moment, he goes over to the tub and begins to fill it with water. When it is almost full of 85 degree water he puts on a rubber apron and gloves and says, “Everybody out. Now.”

“But doctor…”

“I said now!”

They leave and he locks the door.

He gently scoops her out of the ice and carries her to the tub. “Sweetheart, I’m trusting you, but it’s the scariest thing I’ve ever done.”

She gives him a weak thumbs up with one hand as he submerges her in the cool water.

Now what?, he thinks. How long will this take? I’ve only seen it once and you were healthy then. If it does work how do I rewarm you? He sits by the tub watching her face. She is face up this time and her hair is floating out and away from her neck. When he thinks he sees movement he brushes her hair back and there they are again. Yes! Yes! Her gills, her beautiful gills sucking the cooled water through her system. Okay, where is the scanner? There it is. By god, her temperature is dropping! Slowly, yes, but at least her organs aren’t going to fry. Alright, be a doctor. Look up rewarming. You need a plan for her recovery now.

He’s interrupted by a knock at the door. “Dr. McCoy, open the door please.”

“Go away, Captain. I’m working.”

“Bones, the nurses are concerned. Is Zoe alright?”

“She will be, Jim. I’m figuring it out. I’ll explain later. I know you can use the security override to open the door, but I’m asking you not to. Please trust me and go away.”

“Alright, Doctor, if you insist.”

“Thank you.”

Dr. McCoy pages his head nurse and instructs her to set up for therapeutic temperature management maintenance and recovery protocols. He informs her that, barring complications, he will be back with Zoe in a few hours. Meanwhile he’s going to need a gurney and hyposprays containing a sedative and a paralytic as well as oxygen and a heart monitor.

He unlocks the door then moves back to block the view of Zoe. When he hears the door open he turns around and says, “Just leave it.”

“But, doctor…”

“I said, leave it.”

She turns and leaves and he locks the door again.

He takes off a glove and puts his hand on Zoe’s face under the water. She hasn’t opened her eyes again since the whole thing began but she’s in no distress and her temp is coming down, if painfully slowly. He waits and watches, scanning her every few minutes.

“Tell me what to do, darlin’?”, he says. “Tell me how to help you. Will it be safe to take you out of the water when your temperature resets, or should I rewarm you in it? Do you need these drugs?”

_“You cannot hurt me.”_ He hears her voice in his head. Was that a memory or something else? Don’t overthink it. It gives him the hope and the confidence he needs.

He begins to move around the room like a man on a mission. He finds towels and a dry gown. He lays clean towels on the gurney and moves it alongside the tub. Gathering Zoe’s hair out of the water he drapes it over the back edge, leaving her head submerged for the moment. He checks her temperature again. Normal. Finally!

Reaching in, he unties, removes and discards the wet gown. He pulls the drain on the tub, watching carefully. He gathers and wraps her hair. Then he attaches the oxygen mask to her face as the water recedes past her neck. Patting the front of her body dry he covers her with the clean gown, tying it loosely behind her neck. Lastly, he scoops her out of the tub and lays her gently on the gurney. Apparently the drugs are unnecessary. She hasn’t moved or opened her eyes, but her heartbeat is strong and steady, she is breathing on her own and she isn’t seizing.

“McCoy to Sickbay. Stand by. I’m on my way back from p.t. with our patient.”

“Yes, Doctor.”

Once he has her settled in a bed Dr. McCoy sends someone to bring her music and earphones. He has seen how happy her music makes her. If anything can bring her back maybe it can.

He remembers she called him her lifeline. He resolves not to leave her side.

  
15:30 –

One of the nurses must have alerted the Captain that Zoe was back in Sickbay, because he appears at her bedside with coffee and a sandwich for Bones.

“Thanks, Jim, but I’m not hungry.”

“Maybe not now, but you will be eventually. I know you. You won't be leaving her side until she wakes up. Any idea when that will be?”

“None.”

“Want to tell me what happened?”

“I don’t know. Everything went fine. About an hour into recovery she spiked a fever that kept climbing. She had mentioned something a while back about a problem with her temperature regulation. Asked me to look into it. I hadn’t had a chance.”

“So, what did you do?”

“Something crazy. Thank god it worked.”

“You going to tell me what it was?”

Bones looks at him. “Eventually. After she wakes up, okay?”

“Alright. Let me know if you need anything.”

“Thanks.”

  
Throughout the rest of the afternoon and evening a steady stream of people stop by to check on both Zoe and Bones. It is only when Nyota, Spock or Baker are there that he lets himself even take a bathroom break. Thanks to the insistence of his friends, he manages to eat a little something, but only when they are watching. As soon as they leave, his attention turns back to Zoe. Remembering the effect his voice had on her when she first came aboard, he begins telling her everything he remembers about how he felt and what he thought from the moment they found her. When he is too tired and hoarse to talk anymore he puts her earphones in and lets her music play for her as he falls asleep by her side.

 

Day 25

06:00 –

Bones wakes up and stretches. He checks on Zoe who is still unconscious. He takes out the earphones and sets them aside. He starts to speak to her again, asking her to open her eyes for him. Then he picks up where he left off the night before in his narrative. He doesn’t hear Nyota come in, either because he is too focused, too tired, or it is too early for him to expect anyone. She is seated in the chair across from him before he looks up.

“You heard that, huh?”

“Hey, your secret’s safe with me. I won’t tell anyone. They wouldn’t believe me anyway.”

He actually chuckles.

“Here, I brought you coffee.”

“Thanks. Do you think it’s foolish of me to talk to her?”

“Wait, you mean you don’t know? I thought that’s why you were doing it.”

“Nyota” he says, rubbing his face with his hands, “you just lost me. What are you talking about?”

“I thought Zoe must have told you what she told me. She said that, unlike us, she’s rarely completely unconscious. She’s always aware on some level. She knew you had kicked me out of Sickbay that one time when we thought she was asleep.”

“How about that.”, he murmurs, thinking about all the times he would sit at her bedside and talk when he thought she was unconscious. “Does she always remember everything?”

“I’m not sure. You’ll have to ask her when she wakes up. Maybe it’s like a dream. You don’t remember all the details.”

“Thanks for saying when.”

“Hey, Zoe is going to wake up. She’s one tough cookie.”

 

The rest of the day drags. Bones is never far from Zoe’s side. When he isn’t talking to her, he puts her earphones in so that she can hear the music that she loves. He watches her unchanging vitals, happy that there are no setbacks, frustrated that she won't wake up. He tries to catch up with some recordkeeping on his PADD. Their friends come and go, sit and talk. He is aware and oblivious at the same time. Thankfully no one else requires his skills. The nurses easily handle the few needs that arise. By the end of the day he has the revelation that doing nothing can be exhausting. He falls asleep early, holding her hand.

 

23:30 –

Zoe opens her eyes to see her handsome man asleep with his head on her hand. She moves it a little, rubbing the stubble on his chin and smiles, but the movement wakes him.

“Oh, thank god, you’re finally awake!”, he says. He stands up and bends over to give her a long, soft kiss. “Hello, gorgeous.”

She touches his face, hoping her eyes reflect back the love she sees in his.

She glances around, obviously confused. Let’s see, she thinks. Her surgery was at 7:30 a.m. on Monday. It looks like the middle of the night now. But Leonard’s beard doesn’t grow that fast. How long has she been out? And why? _“What happened?”,_ she mouths.

“Leave it, darlin’.”, he says. “There’ll be plenty of time to talk about it later.”

He gets some sort of instrument and runs it up and down her neck on both sides. Then he slides a portable scanner up to her chin and takes a long look – first on one side, then the other, before sliding it away again.

“Remember how I told you that the hardest part was probably going to be not being able to eat, drink or talk for the first 36 – 48 hours?”

She nods.

“Well the good news is that you slept through most of that.”

Her eyes widen.

“And the better news is it looks like your Altan super-healing has kicked in once again.” He puts his hand on her face with his thumb over over her lips and speaks slowly. “But I want you to listen to me carefully.”

Uh-oh, he is using his stern doctor voice _,_ she thinks to herself.

“This does not mean you become a chatterbox. For the first week you whisper only. Nod if you understand.”

She nods.

“And for the first week you limit yourself to a few words at a time, a few times a day, got it?”

She nods.

“Good. After that we will decide together how quickly to increase the amount and the volume. But don’t get impatient, love.”, his tone softens. “Knowing you, you’ll be belting out your favorite tunes in a month.”

Her eyes are starting to shine with happy tears.

“One last thing before I take my hand away. I have waited so long to hear your voice, but you’ve waited a lot longer to use it. I’m going to let you whisper a few words right now. I thought you might like to take a minute to think about what you want them to be.”

As he takes his hand away she reaches both of hers up to rest on either side of his neck and whispers, “I love you, Leonard McCoy. You are my hero.”

“Oh, darlin’, that’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever heard.”

 

 


	6. Day 26

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leonard discovers something unexpected.  
> Zoe receives some bad news.

Day 26

00:15 –

Leonard has been trying to keep himself awake. Zoe is stable and seems to be doing well, but he is reluctant to allow her to fall asleep again, even though he knows it makes no sense.

She sees the toll the last couple of days has taken on him in his face. She motions for her communicator.

“Here, sweetheart. What do you need?”, he asks her, tenderly stroking her forehead.

_“I need you to find a proper bed and get some sleep, doctor.”_

“You are bossy in the morning.” He grins and she grins back.

_“Tesoro mio, my treasure, do not try to tell me you are not tired. You will be no good to me or anyone else until you are rested. There is no need to worry about me anymore. Please find a comfortable bed and sleep.”_

“This one next to yours is empty.”

_“Comfortable.”_

“Darlin’, it doesn’t matter how comfortable the bed is. I won’t be able to sleep unless I’m near you. if I can’t be in bed with you, this is the next best thing. It’s better than the chair, I assure you.”

She nods and closes her eyes again. Stubborn man. She smiles.

He kisses her forehead, falls into the bed next to hers and sleeps soundly.

  
06:30 –

Zoe wakes first. She has been asleep long enough. She wants to get out of this bed! Looking over she sees Leonard still asleep. She has observed what needs to be done enough times. She can do this without waking him. First she finds the switch that turns off the monitors for her bed. Then she disconnects her i.v. tubing, raising it above the hook so that it doesn’t leak. So far, so good. Now to Leonard’s office to replicate them both some coffee. That done, she brings the cups back, putting his on the table next to his bed, sitting in a chair next to him to drink hers.

The aroma of the coffee makes its way into Leonard’s subconscious, appearing first in his dream before the awareness that it’s real pulls him out of slumber. He jolts to see Zoe’s bed is empty, since his eyes focus there first, before the gentle touch of her hand reveals her to be sitting beside him.

As he sits up, before he can say anything, she hands him his coffee and her communicator, on which she has written, _“I would like to shower and dress. Is that alright?”_

She smiles at him and he must admit that she looks good. Completely back to normal. “Good morning to you, too. Why don’t we finish our coffee first? From the way you look I’m sure a scan will show you’re fine.”

_“You look much better as well. I am glad that you were able to sleep.”_

“Do you have any idea how much I want to kiss you right now, beautiful?”

_“Same, milele. But I have not brushed my teeth in two days. I would not do that to you.”_

“And I haven’t shaved in that long. I wouldn’t do that to you. Waiting a little longer will just make it that much better.”

She gets up from her chair as he stands up from the bed and they embrace each other, allowing everything they feel to flow through the connection they have. A quick scan reveals that she is, in fact, back to normal. They leave the Sickbay together and go back to her cabin to clean up and spend some time enjoying each other completely before they must officially begin the day.

  
08:00 –

Zoe gets Leonard’s blessing to go back to work as long as she promises to take it easy. And no singing along with her music just yet. She happily makes that promise and seals it with a kiss.

They part reluctantly, agreeing to meet for lunch.

Bones heads to the bridge to fill Jim in about Zoe.

  
“Bones!”, the Captain greets him heartily. “You look rested. I take it this means that Zoe woke up?”

“Around midnight last night, finally. We both got a good night’s sleep after that. I’ve got to admit, I feel better than I should.”, he answers thoughtfully.

“You look darn good, too, for someone who didn’t sleep for almost two days.”, Jim says, regarding his friend closely with a bit of surprise in his voice. “Where is Zoe this morning?”

“She insisted on working. She checked out fine. I figured spending the day with her plants would be good for her. Might keep her mind off things.”

“Good thinking.”

“Any more news from Alta?”

“Not yet.”

“You know where to find me if that changes.”

“I’ll be sure to let you know.”

  
“Good morning, Dr. McCoy.”, he hears one of the nurses greet him as he enters Sickbay. He notices that she is studying him intently but tries to hide it when he turns to face her.

“Do I have something on my face?”, he asks.

“No, Sir. Why do you ask?”

“The way you were looking at me.” He notices the other nurses within earshot trying to look like they’re not listening.

“Forgive me, Doctor. You just look – younger this morning.”

“Relief and a good night’s sleep will do that for you.”, he answers. The way everyone is acting, he decides to take a look for himself when he gets a chance.

“Zoe has been discharged, we see. That’s great news!”

“Yes, it is. Let’s hope that’s the last we see of her as a patient.”

“Yes, Sir.”, she agrees.

  
He enters his office and makes himself another cup of coffee. Sitting at his desk he takes stock. He realizes he feels better than he has felt in quite some time. Despite what he told the nurses(s), it is more than can be explained by relief and a good night’s sleep. Making his way to the bathroom he does something he hardly ever does – takes a good, hard look at himself in the mirror. Damn! His skin does look different. Brighter? Smoother? Where is that weathered look and the wrinkles around his eyes? It is there, but he has to look hard to see it.

He leaves the bathroom and goes straight to the lab. He draws some blood and begins a full panel of tests on it. Then he returns to his office to await the results.

  
13:00 –

Leonard is lost in thought when Zoe appears at his office door.

_“Ready for lunch?”_. She is using her communicator, wanting to save her precious few words for more intimate use.

Looking up, he says, “Come over here, darlin’. There’s something I want to show you.” He has his test results spread out on his desk. She comes around the desk and he pulls her into his lap.

_“What am I looking at?”_ , she asks, shifting to get comfortable.

“These are the results of blood tests I ran on myself this morning.”, he gestures. “These are the results of my last full workup, almost a year ago.” Looking into her eyes he says, “Kitten, I believe you are changing me. For the better.”

Zoe compares the numbers. She may not understand what they all mean, but the small, though obvious, changes are easy to see.

“Do you have any idea what’s causing this?”, he asks.

_“Dearest, how would I? You are the doctor.”_ She compares the data again for a moment before adding, _“Perhaps there is something in my blood that is beneficial to your system. After all, we have been swapping bodily fluids for almost a week now.”_

“Hmm.” He nuzzles her neck, enjoying her warmth and scent. “That may be it.”, he murmurs thoughtfully.

_“Does this bother you?”_ , she turns his head with her hands so that she can see his eyes.

He searches her eyes for a second. “I guess not. You know me, the doctor in me, the scientist, always wants answers. Explanations. I mean, quantitatively, how much of an effect can I expect? Is it permanent or temporary? That kind of thing.”

_“Milele, I am reminded of the writing of a German poet from four hundred years ago. I believe his advice would serve us well today – ‘to be patient to all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves’. He exhorts that if we can live the questions now, perhaps someday we will be given the answers when we are able to live them.”_

“Who said that?”

_“Rainer Maria Rilke. In his ‘Letters To A Young Poet’. He also said, ‘Nearly everything that matters is a challenge, and everything matters’.”_

“I’ve never been much of a philosopher, darlin’. I’m too pragmatic.”

_“Perhaps that is why you now have me?”_ Zoe takes his face in her hands and gives him a slow, deep kiss.

 “Who knows, sweetheart. The only thing I’m sure of is that as long as I can have you, I’ll take whatever comes with you.”

They kiss until the growling of his stomach gets her attention.

“Come on.”, she whispers in his ear in a teasing voice. “A young man like you needs his nourishment.”

“Keep talking to me in that tone and I’ll be happy to show you what a young man needs.”

  
18:00 –

Jim had alerted Bones and Zoe that he had received a reply from Alta. He asks them to join him in his cabin for dinner.

When they arrive, Jim shows them the response they received from their last communication. It is brief and terse. Zoe’s mother has passed. She will be laid out for a state viewing two days hence with a funeral the following day. Zoe and her “husband” are expected, and arrangements are being made for an overnight stay.

“Zoe, darlin’, I’m so sorry.”

She just shakes her head slowly. _“We knew it was coming. Perhaps this will make it easier.”_

“Are you alright?”, Jim asks? “Are you able to do this?”

She looks at him and shrugs. Her face and eyes are giving nothing away.

“Does this news change anything?”

Still resting her voice, Zoe deflects the question and  uses the communicator to reply. _“It appears from the wording that they are only expecting the two of us._ ”

“Well, that’s not happening.”, Bones interjects.

She looks back and forth between the two men. Squeezing Leonard’s forearm she types, _“I agree, dearest. However please understand that it would not be best for you to accompany us.”_ She pleads for his understanding with her eyes.

“Can you help me understand?”, he asks quietly.

_“There are many factors at play here. I do not begin to grasp them all. Whoever goes to the surface will need to be watchful – alert and unemotional. As much as possible this includes me. I am currently unable to disguise my feelings for you. If you were with us, my focus would be on you. This would be suspicious, as I am believed to be attached to another.”_

“But how can I protect you if I’m not with you?”

_“You will be protecting me by not being with me. And by trusting those who are.” _She turns to address Jim. _“Captain, would it be possible to ask Mr. Spock and Dr. Baker join us before we continue?”_

“Good idea. May I include the rest of the senior officers as well?”

She nods, and he excuses himself to comm the others.

“Zoe, precious, I do not like the idea of you staying down there overnight.”

“Milele, I agree with you completely.”, she whispers. “I have some thoughts on that. Let’s wait until Jim comes back.” She leans into him as they pick at their dinners and wait for Jim to return.

  
Before long the group has gathered once more.

In the meantime, Zoe has made her suggestions and her supporting case to the two men. Bones reluctantly agrees.

Jim reads the latest communication to everyone.

“Due to our shared concerns, we have decided that it would be wise for you, Spock, to accompany us planetside. Zoe believes that your presence will provide an element of surprise that may shift the situation in our favor.”

“In what way, Captain?”, Nyota asks.

“As far as we know, Alta is unaware that one of our crewmen is a Vulcan. The relationship between the two races is one of great tradition and respect. To have Spock there as both a Vulcan and my First Officer may be cause enough for us to be viewed in a more favorable light. It will also undoubtably take some of the focus off Zoe.”

Zoe hands Nyota her communicator, on which she has typed, _“We are walking into a volatile, emotional situation. Who better than Spock to dispassionately assess potential threats?”_

Nyota reads and nods and passes it around for the others to see.

“Are ye plannin’ to take them up on their offer of ‘hospitality’?”, Mr. Scott asks.

“Absolutely not.”, Bones says.

“No.”, Jim agrees. “We will be reciprocally vague about the length of our stay in their orbit. However, we will be spending as little time planetside as is polite, returning to the ship as soon as possible.”

“How do you plan to justify that?”, Dr. Baker interjects.

“By doing something that Altans can appreciate – telling the truth. It was Zoe’s suggestion that we inform them that she is under the care of a doctor who insists that it is ill advised for her to be out of his sight for more than a few hours at a time.” Jim and Bones exchange a grin. Everyone else catches their meaning and laughs.

They sober up quickly again when they look at Zoe’s face. Bones has one arm around her and she is leaning into his side, but she is looking down, lost in thought. Clearly nothing about this will be easy for her.

A few more questions are asked and answered. Some additional suggestions are made. A plan is formulated that everyone is comfortable with. A response is drafted and given to Nyota to send.

Kirk thanks everyone for their input and assistance and dismisses them.

  
“Don’t worry, you two. Spock and I will make sure Zoe is okay.”

Zoe and Bones rise to leave. She surprises Jim by hugging him and whispering, “Thank you.”

On the walk back to her cabin, Zoe hands Leonard her communicator. _“Take me to bed and make me forget about everything except how much I love you.”_

“My pleasure, beautiful.”

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This final part will be wrapping up shortly.  
> Comments anyone?


	7. Day 27

Day 27

06:00 –

Zoe passes a restless night, and for once she wakes before Leonard. She is still conflicted about setting foot on her home planet. Somehow she understands that she must, but that thought gives her no peace. She wishes she knew where this apprehension was coming from.

Leonard wakes up, sensing her distress. Taking her in his arms, he asks, “What’s on your mind, darlin’?”

She simply shrugs as she melts into his embrace, not knowing how to answer.

“Anything I can do for you?”, he adds.

“You’re doing it.”, she whispers.

He holds her silently for a while, feeling the anxiety drain from her body.

“Better?”, he asks, just to make sure.

“Mm-hmm.”, she nods.

“Thought so. Zoe, I think I’m starting to be able to feel your emotions.”

“It doesn’t surprise me, milele. The bond does that.”

“Speaking of the bond, what do you want to do about that?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, we agreed that we love each other and want to be together forever, right?”

She nods, saving her voice.

“So, the logical next step for us humans is that I ask you to marry me – become my wife.”

She reaches for her communicator, both to save her voice and to have the time to think about how she wants to respond. _“Dearest, I am already yours in every way possible. There is nothing that we could do to make this connection any stronger or more permanent. Is there something that I am not understanding?”_

“Let me think about that a minute. I see what you’re saying.” He turns to face her. Then he thinks for a minute and says, “Let me ask you something. Do your people have a ritual know as a wedding? An official demonstration of their commitment to one another?”

“Oh.”, she whispers, nodding. _“You are talking about the joining.”_

“That sounds right. What’s that like?”

_“It is a sort of ceremony, I suppose. However, its purpose is so specific to our culture and way of life that I had not thought it applied to you and me. That particular ‘ritual’, as you call it, would make no sense for us. What is the purpose of a wedding?”_

“I guess it has a few purposes. For one, it’s a way of letting the world know how I feel about you. A public declaration. It is an opportunity for our friends to celebrate with us. And, not for nothing, under human law, it imparts some rights and privileges.”

_“So you would like us to participate in this ritual?”_

“Only if you want to…” Suddenly he’s not so sure what he wants.

  _“What does this ritual involve?”_

“’Wedding’, darlin. It’s called a wedding.” He tries to boil down the basics. “Well, like I said, we decide to make what we feel legal. We ask someone with authority to perform the ceremony. Like Jim, for example. As Captain of the ship he is able to officiate weddings. We invite our friends to witness and celebrate with us.”

_“That sounds simple enough. If you like, we can ask the Captain to take care of it tonight after we meet with the others about tomorrow.”_

“Um…”, Leonard rubs his face with his hands. “It really isn’t something you do that quickly.”

_“I do not understand.”_

“There’s more to it than that. It’s a ceremony. Generally it takes some time to arrange everything.”

_“What is there to arrange? Can you describe it to me?”_

“Well, sweetheart, it’s a celebration. A party. With special food and decorations. And special clothing. The man traditionally stands up in the front wearing a tuxedo or dress uniform and the woman enters and walks up an aisle wearing a wedding gown, usually white.”

She sits up straighter to face him. _“ Now I see. Tradition. Leonard, do you know what our problem is? I keep forgetting that you are human and you keep forgetting that I am not. Let me ask you a question. If Spock and Nyota decide to marry, do you believe he will agree to wear a tuxedo and wait as she walks up an aisle in a white gown?”_

The picture makes him laugh as she knew it would. “Point taken, darlin, although I’d pay a lot to see it!”

_“Leonard, you have had a traditional wedding already and I do not want one.”_

“Yes, but I’m pretty sure our friends will.”

_“Milele, I would do anything for you. But ‘tradition’ implies meaning to both parties, does it not?”_

“I guess it does.”

_“I can accept the logic of legal implications. I can even understand the presence of our friends as witnesses. However, my only experience with celebrations has been in the official capacity. I have found them to be tiresome and impersonal. Is there any freedom or latitude to adapt the ceremony without affecting the legality?”_

He thinks for a minute about all the wedding ceremonies he has attended over the years, including his own, and how different they have been. “Quite a bit, actually.”

She sighs with relief. _”Kalbimin kalbi, I can tell that you want this. That reason alone is enough for me. But I would like to know more about this ceremony – what is mandatory and what is arbitrary – as well as what is most important to you. Is this something we need to decide about today?”_

“No, darlin’, there’s no rush.” Not until he feels her relief does he realize the tension she had been under. “What does ‘kalbimin kalbi’ mean?”

 _“Heart of my heart. Now, can we change the subject?_  
  
“Come here, Kitten.”, he says softly, wrapping her in the comforting embrace he knows she loves. “Consider the subject changed.”

 

20:00 –

At the end of the day they all assemble in Kirk’s cabin once more to finalize the plans for the following day. A message has been received from Alta giving them a time and co-ordinates for beaming down their party.

Kirk and Spock will be wearing their dress uniforms. Zoe has decided to wear a black saree with gold trim, along with a veil to cover her face and hair. She thinks it prudent that she not be immediately recognized as Altan. She is interested to see how many people are even aware that she exists and is returning.

There is not much to discuss that has not already been covered. Kirk doesn’t keep them for long before dismissing them all to try to get some sleep.  


Zoe and Leonard do not say much when they are finally alone once more. Instead they take their time undressing one another and exploring one another as if it were going to be their last time. When they are sated at last they get settled in each other’s arms for the night, but neither is ready for sleep.

“Sweetheart, I’m not going to have a moment’s peace until you are back on this ship with me.”, Leonard says quietly.

“I know.”, she whispers. “We will not stay one moment longer than necessary, I promise.”

“Are you going to be okay? Seeing your mother, I mean.”

“I believe so, but I will not know until that moment comes.”

“Are you at least looking forward to seeing your home again?”

She takes her time before answering. “I suppose I will enjoy seeing it, if only because it is familiar. But I would give up ever seeing it again gladly, willingly. I do not want to go back. It feels so unreal that this is happening. It will be a relief to me when we are finally heading far away from here for good.”

She shudders and sits up straighter to reach for her communicator. Her voice is beginning to tire.

_“Alta has a pull on me that I cannot explain. But the young girl who left there almost 20 years ago is dead. She died with Rafe and her boys. You gave me new life, milele, and a new reason to live. You are my home now. I want to be free to live my new life with you. Can you understand?”_

“I sure can, darlin’. I want that, too. More than you know.”

 

 

 


	8. Day 28

Day 28

10:00 –   

Kirk, Spock and Zoe beam down to the surface of Alta. A ‘welcoming committee’ meets the group as they beam down just outside the palace. They are provided with a translator that changes Altan into the language of the hearer as it is spoken and vice versa. Their small party consists of Jim Kirk as the representative of Federation and Captain of the Enterprise, Zoe, who is veiled to avoid recognition and posing as his wife, and Mr. Spock as First Officer and representative of Vulcan.

Despite Zoe’s descriptions, Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock are not prepared for the sight that is the Altan people. They are uniformly tall, the women 1.8 meters and the men 2 meters. Their complexions are almost golden with skin that seems lit from within, similarly to Zoe’s, but the effect is even more pronounced. Their hair is lighter, as she had described, being many shades of blonde, from as light as platinum through almost approaching brown, with accents of reds and golds, all on the same head and all changing with the light as hers does. The only noticeable distinction is the ornate and elaborate braiding patterns, none of which are identical. The men also wear their hair braided, although in much simpler patterns. This and the slight difference in clothing color and style is the only to tell one from another.

The three silently follow their hosts. Zoe is surprised to recognize one of her childhood attendants, Adira, among them.

From the hilltop location of the palace they are provided a 360 degree of the area. They take in the pristine glory that is Alta. The sky has a pinkish hue, lit as it is by two smaller suns. There is water everywhere, rivers reflecting in the distance, waterfalls sparkling down the distant mountains. There are trees of every description, covering the rolling hillsides, as well as colorful flowers. The air is crisp and clean. It is as stunning a planet as Kirk or Spock have ever seen.

As they enter the palace gates their hosts direct them to take their place in the line of dignitaries who are filing past Zoe’s mother’s coffin, paying their respects. As Adira is about to walk away, she whispers to Zoe. “After you left, I continued in the service of your mother. She left a letter for you. Please read it as soon as you can.”

Zoe is holding on to Captain Kirk’s arm. As they approach her mother’s open coffin, her grip tightens and she begins to tremble slightly. She knows it is important not to draw attention to herself and is doing her best. The only outward sign that she is in any distress is when she is finally able to see her mother’s face. Her breath catches in her throat and her knees buckle a bit, but wedged as she is between Kirk and Spock, she manages to recover without losing her footing or her balance.

Too quickly for her they are through the line and moving to where the king – her father – stands waiting. He makes no move to touch or embrace Zoe. In fact, he is regarding the three as if undecided about how to proceed. Finally he says, “It was good of you to come, daughter.”

She simply bows in answer.

He asks the three of them to accompany him to a private room. They do. He studies what he can see of Zoe behind her veil. Then, as if he has made up his mind, he opens a drawer and presents Zoe with a sealed written document. “Your mother wrote this to you years ago, shortly after you left. It was her dying wish that you have it should you ever return.”  He offers it to her and she reaches out her hand and takes it.

“What, no ‘Thank you, Father’?”

“My wife had her vocal chords savagely cut several years ago while she was in captivity.”, Kirk answers. “Allow me to thank you for her.”

“Most interesting.”, the king says, as if this were news. “Perhaps you could reconsider staying the night, as my personal guests? Who knows what other unexpected revelations might come to light.”

“Forgive us, Your Majesty,” Spock answers, “but I am afraid our presence is needed on our ship.”

The king pauses for a moment, then answers, “Of course. As you wish. We will expect you all tomorrow for the funeral.”

“That is our plan, Your Majesty.”, Spock answers

“Thank you for your hospitality and once more may we express our sorrow for your loss.”, Kirk says.

“And Zoe’s”, says the king. “One moment, please.” He turns and whispers something to an attendant, who rushes out and returns with Adira in tow. She must have been waiting to be summoned, because they are back quickly and she is carrying a package.

She bows to the king. “Your Majesty.”

“Adira will accompany you to your ship. She has the skills to dress and prepare my daughter appropriately.”

Kirk briefly considers arguing, but a glance from Zoe convinces him to go along.

“You may go.”, the king says.

They bow and walk away. No one says anything until they are outside the palace gates. Zoe has opened the letter and is reading it. Kirk sits Zoe on a garden bench and sends Mr. Scott their co-ordinates.

“Well, that went more smoothly than anticipated. But that had to be the coldest father/daughter reunion in history.”, Kirk whispers.

“I can hear you.”, Zoe whispers, “And we have to get out of here now! We are all in danger until we are back on the ship.”

“So, you can speak! I knew it!”, comes a voice from behind them. Zoe jumps up.

Addressing Kirk and Spock he continues, “But where are my manners? Allow me to introduce myself. My name does not translate easily. You can call me Primus, my title. I am the oldest of Zoe’s half-brothers. You see, there’s a throne at stake, and as long as Zoe is alive - and can speak - she is the rightful heir.”

They look at Zoe for confirmation.

“He is right.” she confirms quietly. “But I did not know until just now. It is all here in this letter from my mother. I have been reading it as we walked.”

During this brief revelation Zoe’s five other half-brothers have slowly joined the party and are hanging back, watching and listening. Their faces are a mixture of confusion and doubt. As they study the sister they haven’t seen in almost twenty years, Kirk takes out his transponder.

“Mr. Scott, get Bones, Dr. Baker, and Mr. Sulu to drop whatever they’re doing and join you in the transporter room immediately. And I want live feed of this spot – audio and video – from this moment until we are back onboard, understood?”

“Aye, Sir.”

Zoe has been slowly removing her veil as Kirk was talking to distract her brothers and buy him more time. Now she is speaking softly. “None of you seem surprised that I am alive.”

“Of course not, Sis.”, says Primus. We have been expecting you. Your mother may not have put any stock in the prophecy, but then again, she was not Altan, was she?”

“Prophecy?”, Kirk and Spock ask in unison.

Zoe lifts the letter in response. “Are none of you curious where I have been? What has happened to me the past twenty years?”

The eldest, the ringleader, laughs. “You think we do not know? Do you think Dad would allow himself to lose track of the heir to his throne?”

At this Kirk interjects, “Excuse me. Wasn’t Zoe disinherited when she left with Rafe? And besides, she’s the youngest and not even full-blooded Altan.”

“It is all in here.”, Zoe says sadly, her eyes downcast.

“Yes, but allow me, Sis. I want to tell him. You see, what our sister was apparently unaware of, Altan succession is through the female. The man is the figurehead, the woman is the power. That is what Zoe’s mother found out and did such a good job keeping from her. When Zoe’s mom came along our Dad thought he had found a solution to his problem – six sons and no heir. Our Mother had done the unheard of – died in childbirth. Also prophecied, by the way. But Zoe was not what Dad had in mind for his successor.”

“Mother wanted me to go with Rafe to get me away from Father.”, she says softly, looking at the letter. “To protect me.”

“When your mother got sick several years ago, Father decided it was time you were dealt with once and for all.”

Zoe pales and her knees buckle. She sinks to the ground as a sick realization washes over her. Kirk kneels beside her supporting her. After a brief silence she manages to whisper, “Father sent those animals.”

“Bravo, Sis, you always were the smart one. In his defense, they were supposed to kill you all.”

“It must have driven him crazy when I wouldn’t die.”

“Yes, well, when you lost your voice we thought you finally had. That is, until your husband contacted us, looking for help understanding you better.” Looking at Kirk. “Thanks for that by the way. We tried to tell Dad you cannot mess with prophecy.”

“Wait! My mother – did he kill my mother just to lure me back here to finish the job himself?”

“No, that was just dumb luck.”

At this, rage overwhelms Kirk and he jumps up and lunges at Primus. Spock grabs one arm and Zoe grabs the other and comes up with him. He turns his attention to her and steadies her. She looks at him and shakes her head.

She releases Kirk, rises to her full height and scans her brothers’ faces. She is in control now.

“So, it falls to you, Primus. I know how you hate to get your hands dirty, so I will save you the trouble.” She puts her palms together, brings them to her chest and begins to speak loudly and clearly. “Father. I know you can hear me. You win.”

“NO! Zoe, do not do this!” One of the younger brothers steps forward but Zoe silences him with a glance and an almost imperceptible move of her hand. Then things begin to happen quickly.

“Primus, your blade.”, Zoe says. He looks surprised, but he whips out the weapon and hands it to her.

Several of her brothers are protesting now, some to her and some to Primus, but she ignores them all and begins to speak deliberately.

“I, Zoe Grace, the once and future Queen of Alta, do hereby and forever relinquish any and all claim to this planet and these people.”

One of her brothers exclaims, “Zoe, you cannot do this! We are family.”

She faces him squarely. “Family? I do not even know what that word means.”

Then turning to Kirk she says, “Tell Leonard I am sorry.”

Facing her brothers again she continues, “From this day forward, the people of Alta will never again hear my voice.”

And with that she drags the blunt edge of the blade across her neck from ear to ear, turns to Primus who has his hand out to receive it, and drops it on the ground.

Turning her back on all of them she takes Mr. Spock’s hand and asks him telepathically if he will ask the Captain to allow her to beam up alone.

When Spock relays the request Kirk gets on the transponder and says, “Mr. Scott…”

“Wait!”, they hear. Turning around, Zoe sees Adira. “Please, my Queen. Take me with you.” She kneels on the ground, head bowed. Zoe places a hand on her shoulder. A quick, silent communication takes place. Adira turns to Kirk, “If you will allow it, Captain?” He sees the plea in Zoe’s eyes as well. “Two to beam up, Scotty. Then the rest of you get your asses down here and join us!”

Zoe and Adira enter the transport room not even registering the presence of the four men who have been witnessing the exchange on the planet’s surface. They allow them to depart in silence, but as soon as the door slides shut behind her, the four of them are beaming down to join Kirk and Spock.

They arrive to see the brothers turning away and quickly surround them. They arrive armed, but their weapons are not drawn. The looks on each of their faces are enough to freeze the brothers in their tracks.

Meanwhile, on the ship, an ensign rushes to Zoe’s room. When admitted he pulls up the live feed for her. “Please, Ma'am, I think you will want to see this.” He leaves them to watch and listen.  


“Not so fast.”, she hears one of them say as she turns her attention to the video.

“Oh, please, allow me. Jim?”, Bones says, looking at him, but it is not a request.

Jim just nods at him, too angry to speak.

If Zoe thinks she saw Bones angry before, he thinks, he’s just as glad she can’t see him now. He is blind with rage. But he forces himself to speak slowly. As he does, Jim comes to stand beside him and puts a hand on one shoulder, and Spock stands on the other side and does the same. Although he is thankful for their support, it occurs to him that they may be positioning themselves to keep him from doing something he can’t undo.

Looking at each of the brothers in turn he says, “We can’t wait to take Zoe as far away from here as possible, but before we do, there are some things you are going to hear.”

“Four weeks ago we found your sister, left for dead on a planet that had been utterly devastated. Stripped of everything of value and destroyed. By some miracle there was a small spark of life remaining in her, so we brought her aboard our ship. What we discovered was that for the four years prior to that she had endured unspeakable tortures at the hands of a group of monsters. The same monsters who destroyed the planet where we found her. The same monsters who your Father – her Father - sent to kill her and her family. Four years. Four. Long. Years.”

“Have you ever seen a Vulcan cry?” He pauses and indicates Mr. Spock, who is regarding them all with what amounts to disgust on his impassive face. “Sharing your sister’s memories brought this man to tears.”

“The woman who just left here came to us in pieces. Broken in body, spirit, mind and heart. Having lost everyone and everything she loved. Begging to die. Like a wounded animal just wanting to be put out of its misery. But no, we couldn’t do that. And do you know why? Because we…”, and he gestures to the group who all nod in agreement, “…saw something special. A spark, a light, goodness, that there’s far too little of in this vast universe. So, before we even knew her we fought for her. And it has been a fight, let me tell you. A fight to help her heal. A fight to win her trust.”

His voice breaks, “But hear me, boys, it has been worth it. Every bit of it. She’s worth it. Right, gentlemen?”

Nods and agreement all around.

“We’ve all seen a lot of evil in this universe. What your Father did is beyond evil, beyond reprehensible. But every one of you is just as bad for letting it happen. For doing nothing to stop it.”

Suddenly all he wants is to be back on the ship holding Zoe in his arms. “And the saddest part is you have no idea what you have lost – what your people have lost – and now you will never know.” Turning to the others he asks, “Gentlemen, does that about cover it?”

Kirk snarls, “Just one last thing. Primus, is it? Primus, I don’t know if you can tell, but it is taking every ounce of self-control that I have not to beat you into a bloody pulp.”

One of the brothers interrupts, “Wait a minute! If he is her husband, how is he able to speak?”

Kirk laughs humorously. “Oh, that’s the way the hocus pocus works, is it? Well, I have news for you, I have not replaced Zoe’s brutally murdered husband, although securing her affection would be considered an honor by any one of us here.”

“But back to you, Primus, and the rest of you. You heard the lady. She severed ties with all of you. I will personally consider any attempt to contact her in the future, either personally or through an intermediary, to be an act of war which will be met with the full force of the Federation. Do I make myself perfectly clear?”

They mumble their assent.

Kirk is not satisfied. “I didn’t hear that.”

They wait until they have heard each one agree, then Kirk says, “Good. For the sake of your people and your planet, I suggest that you pray that your next ruler is more like your sister than your Father, may he rot in hell. Gentlemen.”, he nods to his crew and they open their circle and allow the brothers to file out and away.

“Scotty, get us off of this planet.”, Kirk says.

“Six to beam up.”, Mr. Scott announces to the transporter room.

The adrenaline and testosterone are flowing as they step off the platform congratulating one another, especially Bones and Kirk for saying what everyone was thinking. They quickly fall silent as the door slides open and they see Zoe standing there. Her eyes are shining. Adira is by her side. She looks from man to man, then approaches each one and gives them a kiss on each cheek and a tight hug, saving Leonard for last.

No one speaks as they turn and start back towards the door. Halfway there she turns back and says, “My heroes. Oh, and in case you were wondering, yours are definitely bigger!”

McCoy reaches her in two leaps, picks her up, spins her around and says, “You can talk!”

She laughs and it’s a beautiful sound. “Yes, how about that? Maybe it is only on my planet, or maybe you guys broke the spell. Anyway, it is about time Zoe Grace caught a break, wouldn’t you say?”

And they’re all laughing and agreeing.

Zoe is still in Bones’ arms when she addresses her old friend. “Forgive me. Adira, this is my beloved, Dr. Leonard McCoy. Leonard, meet Adira.”

They smile warmly at each other.

“Captain, thank you for allowing Adira to join us. Would you mind introducing her to everyone else. And perhaps one of you would help to get her settled? Leonard and I need to talk. There are some things in my mother’s letter that concern him. We promise to fill the rest of you in later.”

“Of course, Zoe. You two are excused.”

“Thank you, Sir.”

  



	9. The Prophecy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the penultimate chapter of this work.  
> I'm having a bit of trouble deciding where to leave it and whether to begin part two - which is currently completely unwritten - right away or let it wait a while.  
> I've read many works on this site that have left me hanging...  
> For the sake of anyone reading now or in the future, I ask my current readers to see the notes at the end of this chapter and leave me your feedback.  
> Thanks :)

The Prophecy –

Back in Zoe’s room Leonard tells her how desperate he had been to get back to her and hold her in his arms. He lies on her bed and motions for her to join him, which she is only too happy to do.

“What did I do to deserve this?”, she whispers.

“Deserve what, darlin?”

“A few hours ago I thought that in order to save my life and the lives of Jim and Spock, I was losing my voice again for good. And perhaps losing you in the process. I still do not understand why that did not happen.”

“How did you even know to do what you did down there?”, he asks.

“It was in the letter.” She gets up and picks up her mother’s letter from her desk then curls up next to him on the bed again. He looks at the pages of curlicues. “That’s beautiful, but you don’t expect me to be able to read it, do you?”

“Of course not, Doctor Obvious. But look closer.”

He does, and between the dark and obvious lines of Altan script are lighter, almost invisible lines written in English. “Well, that’s handy.”

“The interesting part is that they say two different things. It must not have occurred to whoever ‘checked’ this document that the English portion was something other than my mother’s notes of what she wanted to write in our official language. You see, it begins the same. Anyone taking the trouble – and it would have been a tremendous amount of trouble – to struggle through the translation, would probably have been satisfied after the first page, if they made it that far. But, just to be safe, the last page contains the same text as well.”

“I know you still want me to rest my voice, and I love the sound of yours. Why don’t you start here on page two where I marked it with a pencil and read to the end of page three where I marked it.”

“Alright.” He reads:

                _My darling girl, I have no way of knowing if you will ever read this letter. I feel like a hypocrite writing it, because in doing so I am acting as if I believe the prophecy foolishness that everyone else on this planet seems to live by. But, if your father and brothers are correct, you may need this information someday and it falls to me to at least try to provide it to you, knowing that they will not._

_I came to this planet because I was running and wanted to get as far away from earth as possible. When I found Alta it seemed to be everything I was looking for – beautiful, advanced, peaceful. Unlike you, my dear, I did not mind looking unique. It was like being the sun in a sky full of stars. Your father had just buried his wife. He was like a lost puppy. He pursued and wooed me, offered me the world – literally - begged me to allow him to make me his queen. I had no idea what that meant until it was too late. But I did love him. Passionately at first._

She curls up closer to him, her head on his chest so that she can hear his voice resonating through her entire body as he continues.

_That began to change when you came along. By then I understood my role, both as the actual ruler of the planet and the vessel expected to produce the next ruler. I loved you immediately, my precious, but your father could not disguise his disappointment in you and it broke my heart. He pushed me to have another child, but I kept finding reasons to delay. I knew that if I bore him another daughter it would endanger one or both of you. So, I used my position to order one of our physicians to make it impossible for me to conceive. I forbade him to inform my husband. He may have suspected, but he never accused me._

_Whenever I was absent from you, it was in the line of duty. I could not tell you that. I did not want you to know what was expected of me – what would eventually be expected of you. You were born an untamed spirit. I wanted you to be free._

_At about the time Rafe first came to our planet I caught wind of a crueler, more insidious plan that your father had in mind for you. A plan that would take you away from me and force you to become the ruler that he wanted you to be. The details turn my stomach and led to our eventual separation. But I had to hide my disgust until I could get you safely off of our planet and out of his reach. Rafe was the answer._

_I know what you must be thinking, my darling, but Rafe loves you. He always has. That was always real. Zoe, my precious, my prayer for you is that you and Rafe are out there somewhere enjoying the life you were meant for, making full use of your curiosity, imagination, intuition and intelligence, hopefully for the betterment of life everywhere._

_But, if you are reading this, something has gone wrong and you are back once more on Altan soil. And that would mean that I am dead and the prophecy is true. If this is the case, my prayer for you is that you get the chance to read this before you join me in the grave. You are expected. The prophecy declared that when I passed you would return. Alive, you are a threat to your father and brothers. If they can kill you before you are recognized, they will have defeated the prophecy. But nothing has been able to do that so far, so if you are reading this, you have a choice to make. If your people recognize you, they will make you Queen, and you will be safe, but trapped, like I was. Unlike me, you are royalty by blood, you cannot change that, but If you have no desire to rule, you have one chance to keep this from happening._

“Zoe, darlin, it’s pretty clear to me that your mom did love you.”

“Yes. I just wish she could have told me some of this before…” She takes the letter back. “Anyway, she goes on to give me the script for what you watched me do in the presence of my brothers. She says that if anyone touches me to harm me after that, they risk execution.”

“Well, how about that. My girl really is royalty.” He leans over and kisses her. “I’m so glad you never had any interest in being Queen.”

“Leonard, there’s more to the prophecy.”

“Oh?”

“It may answer one question, but it raises another one.”

“Do you want me to read it or do you want to just tell me?”

“I think you had better read it and then, if you have questions, you can ask. I just do not know if I will have any answers.” She directs him to the place to continue reading:

_Zoe, you need to know the rest of the prophecy. After the human Queen (me) passes, her half-human daughter returns, but does not rule. She leaves Alta and bonds with a human male. They produce a female offspring who eventually returns to claim the throne._

_The seers update the prophecies when royal offspring are born and when the line of succession passes. They rarely see farther than fifty years ahead at a time. I cannot tell you what to believe. What you do with this information is up to you. I wish I could tell you more, my dear._

“And then it looks like she reverts to spouting the party line for the rest of the letter.”, he says, flipping to the end of the letter. “Too bad we don’t have the actual prophecy.”, he muses.

“We do.”, she answers. “It just wasn’t translated. Here it is.” She shows him the final page, consisting of several lines of script in a different hand. “The original would have been added to the book of the prophets. This must be a copy of what the seers gave my mother when I was born. It is awkward in Standard, but I will do my best to translate.”

                _Our rightful ruler lost then found again in… (_ Empty _?_ Open _?_ Barren _!) …barren space._  
                _Restored by one... Noble? Honorable?_ (It is somehow both) _…kind and true. Human, but by blood alone._  
                _Returned but not to remain. Their path is not to…_ (Abide?) _…stay in one place. (_ There is no single Standard word. _)_  
                _Their union will produce the sovereign destined to restore our created purpose._

“Zoe, you didn't know __any of this until you read this letter?”

“No. It makes sense now why she wanted me to stay away from earth. Why she tried so hard to give me a low opinion of human males. But she claims not to believe in the prophecies.”

“Looks like she was just trying to cover all the bases. What do you believe?”

“I do not know. But how can I explain being rescued by this ship when in all likelihood I would not have lasted the day where you found me? How can I explain bonding with you so quickly and completely when I never wanted or expected it to happen again? How do I explain being returned to my planet at the exact time prophecied? The only part of this that I co-operated with was choosing not to rule. I could have thwarted the prophecy myself by remaining behind to rule, but that would have meant never seeing you again, and I could not bear the thought of that. What do you believe?”

“I believe I understand why she had the doctor implant that device before you left the planet. I still disagree with it, and I’m still plenty pissed about it, but at least it wasn’t for the reason you were thinking. Look, sweetheart, you’ve been through an awful lot today. Through it all you lived up to your name – ‘Grace’ – in a way that made me humble and proud to see. As a doctor, I would love to sedate you for a while to keep any one of the dozen revelations you absorbed today from suddenly knocking the wind out of you again. As the man who loves you, I just want to lock the door and hold you until I’m sure you’re alright. And I believe that’s all I want to say about any of this for the rest of the night if that’s okay with you.”

“Leonard, I want to… I need to hear what you think about all this.”

“It can wait until tomorrow. I’m not going anywhere.”

“That sounds wonderful, my milele.”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, current readers, what do you want to know before this story ends?  
> Any questions you want answered in the next chapter?  
> Anything you would like to see?  
> This is my first story - it came to me fairly complete, unlike some of the stories I read on this site, which seem to flow indefinitely. (I love those stories, by the way, some of you are such good writers that I am tempted to just let it go and leave it to you.)  
> Any feedback is greatly appreciated!  
> I will wait for a while before writing and posting the final chapter (epilogue?) until I hear from some of you.  
> Thanks again for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> These chapters will post more slowly than parts one and two. The outline is done, but there is a lot of fleshing out to do.  
> Comments and kudos are always appreciated.  
> As I already stated, this is my initial fanfiction endeavor :)


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